Cardcaptor Abroad
by Hereward the White
Summary: Yet another CCSHP Crossover, five years after the 70th episode of CCS Sakura is invited to Hogwarts with a few of her friends. I apologise for the late update.
1. Foreign Invites

Yet another HP/CCS crossover! Some people are liable to get tired of it.

Whenever the CCS characters speak in Japanese I'll first type the Japanese in English calligraphy "Like this" and it'll be followed by the translation _in italic like this_. Thoughts will be put in 'this quotation format'.

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter locations & characters belong to J.K. Rowling, all CCS characters & locations belong to CLAMP.

A bright summer's day dawned in Tomoeda, the warm sun's rays shot in and out of the metropolitan skyline and washed over the houses in the suburbs, arousing many residents of the Japanese city. In one, however, whilst many others were getting up one significant member of the public had to be roused firmly but carefully.

"AIIII!!!" Cried Sakura as she felt a mass of cold water rush over her, at her bedside one non-human resident with an empty bucket was ready to greet her.

"Ohayō gozaimasu!" _Good morning!_ Kero greeted her enthusiastically.

"Hoeee!" Sakura moaned. "Sore wa nan desu ka, Kero-chan?" _What was that for, Kero?_

"Nemurimasu dōshite desu ka kara sore wa hitotsu kirei hi no soto ni!" _Why sleep when it's a beautiful day outside!_ Kero answered as he flew over to the window and pulled the blinds open. Wearily Sakura got up and went to get dressed and do all the normal morning things most people do across the world.

Later on Sakura dashed downstairs for breakfast.

"Ohayō!" _Morning!_ She greeted her brother & father upon reaching the doorway to the dining room.

"Sono kaijuu kimemasu narimasen okimasu e." _The monster has decided to get up._ Touya commented as Sakura arrived for breakfast, once again Sakura got annoyed.

"Watashi wa hitotsu kaijuu-masen!" _I am not a monster!_ She assertively replied.

"Anata no ashi-kaidan hitotsu kaijuu desu moshi nani ka." _Your footsteps are a monster's anyway._ Touya added to his previous comment, Sakura's blood pressure started to steadily climb; their father decided to intervene discretely.

"Mochimasu anatatachi kan·gae desu kyō o mot·te imasu ka?" _Have either of you got any plans for today?_ He asked his offspring, they turned to him to consecutively give their answers.

"Yukito to watashi desu ikimasu toshokan e." _Yukito and I are going to the library._ Touya was the first to answer.

"Watashi wa kibō desu sukoshi shizuka sukēto o suru kōen ni." _I'm hoping for some quiet skating in the park._ Sakura answered afterwards; she was having a difficult time finding things to do to fill the gap that had formed since Shaoran had to return to Hong Kong, five years ago.

After a few minutes all three of them heard an unusual rat-tat-tat at the window, they all moved to see what looked like a barn owl at the window, waiting patiently. Everyone, even Sakura (who has gotten used to unusual events), were bewildered by this and didn't know whether they were coming or going. After a few chirps the owl, noting the dumbfounded expressions on their faces, flew off and the Kinomotos next heard a letter slipping through the letterbox.

Sakura, noting her experience in the unknown, decided to go see what the letter was all about; upon taking the smooth white envelope off the lower floor, which Western society might consider to be a porch, she was astonished by where the envelope was addressed to:

_Sakura Kinomoto_

_Farthest Bedroom on 2nd Floor_

_Kinomoto Residence_

_Tomoeda Suburbs_

_Near Tokyo_

_Japan_

(Sorry, I don't know the exact address of the Kinomoto household)

Sakura couldn't figure it out, how did anyone (except Tomoyo) know which room she slept in and why would they write that on an envelope to post, furthermore it was in Occidental calligraphy like the cards; she decided to show it to her father and Touya and see if they could make sense of it.

"Hitotsu mezurashī hanko ga arimasu sore no ue." _There's an unusual seal on it._ Fujitaka pointed out as he observed the side with the flap.

"Ōfuku jūsho ga arimasen!" _There's no return address!_ Touya pointed out. "Shimasu-masen anata akemasu sore dōshite desu ka?" _Why don't you open it?_ Sakura nodded to him, broke the seal and removed the letter from the envelope; she was amazed by what she saw.

"Sore wa min·na Eigo de!" _It's all in English!_ Sakura cried out, Fujitaka and Touya rushed over to her shoulders and observed the letter; just then the ink that made up the text of the letter swirled and shifted into Japanese calligraphy for them to understand, the scripture read in English:

Dear Miss Kinomoto,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In spite of the fact that there are such schools nearer to you it is felt that you will benefit more if you attend Hogwarts; due to circumstances beyond our control you weren't informed when you'd be the age for first year, thusly we'll accept you in amongst the fifth years. We eagerly await your reply by the 31st July; make your reply using the address above and the owl waiting in the vicinity of your house; a list is included of the things you need to acquire before arriving.

Yours Sincerely,

Prof. McGonagall, Deputy Headmaster.

They all notified that the return address was on the top of the letter and directed to:

Prof. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster

Fujitaka was filled with pride, joyous of his daughter's new status.

"Watashi wa omoimasu ikimasu-ta hō ga ī desu!" _I think you should go!_ He told Sakura, she was getting excited at the possibility; Touya was unimpressed though.

"Kanojo zut·to ī desu karera/kanojotachi yorimo, anata shit·te imasu sono!" _She's much better than them _(I'm not sure if it's male or female because Hogwarts is both)_, you know that!_ He told his father, who had other thoughts.

"Sore wa ī keiken kanojo no shite!" _It'll be good experience for her!_ He replied, Sakura wasn't sure what to make of all this.

In Sakura' bedroom Kero was getting out his latest video game when the mobile rang, he went to answer it.

"Moshi-moshi!" _Hello! _(Phone greeting) He announced into the phone.

"Chot·to, Kero-chan!" _Hey, Kero!_ Came Tomoyo's voice out of the microwaves (high frequency radio waves used in mobile phones). "Sakura-chan ga arimasu ka?" _Is Sakura there?_ Kero thought for a moment before replying.

"Kanojo mochimasu chōshoku desu; watashi wa ikimasu desu kanojo!" _She's having breakfast; I'm going to get her!_ Tomoyo made her reply as Kero went off to the door and beyond.

"Ōkē!" _Okay!_

Sakura finished her breakfast and went into the living room to contemplate on the letter, it was fortunate enough that both the letter and the list of stuff had transfigured into Japanese calligraphy, but she wasn't sure whether she had subconsciously caused the change or if the letter was acting under it's own magic. Just then Kero came dashing into the lounge.

"Chot·to, Sakura," _Hey, Sakura,_ Kero cried out, "Tomoyo-chan sono keitaidenwa no ue desu!" _Tomoyo is on the phone!_ At hearing Sakura jumped up, still clutching her letter from Hogwarts, and dashed upstairs with Kero hot on her heels.

"Moshi-moshi, Tomoyo-chan!" _Hello, Tomoyo!_ Sakura announced as she picked up the mobile.

"Anata shite mo uketorimasu nani ga arundesu ka!" _You won't believe what has happened!_ (Half of it is guess work) Tomoyo told her.

"Tegami kara Hogwarts o mot·te imasu ka?!?" _Did you get a letter from Hogwarts?!?_ Sakura asked Tomoyo, noting how unbelievable it would be for Tomoyo to get one as well and trusting her mystical instincts.

"Dō shit·te imasu-te kuremasen ka?" _How could you know?_ Tomoyo replied with clear surprise.

"Watashi mochimasu hitotsu, mo!" _I have one, too!_ Sakura told Tomoyo. "Odoroku-beki watashi nani sore wa sono sore tanoshimi suki desu anata mochimasu mahou, mo desu!" _What amazes me is that it see__ms you have magic, too!_

"Hai, watashi odoroku-beki deshita itsu mitsukemashita kurai sore!" _Yes, I was amazed when I found out about it!_ Tomoyo answered, after which she suggested if Sakura would like to meet up with her at her home.

After a talk with her father and Touya Sakura set off with Kero (in discretion) for Tomoyo's mansion. At the gate Sakura gave the two-way speaker her name and the fact she was to see Tomoyo and went in.

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo cried out as she rushed out to meet her, "Watashi wa totemo ureshī desu mimasu anata!" _I'm so happy to see you!_ Just then one of the Daijoudi housemaids came out and told Tomoyo there was a phone call for her.

"…kara hitotsu Hiiragizawa-kun?" _…from a Hiiragizawa?_ The maid told them, Tomoyo and Sakura nodded in understanding and Tomoyo told the maid she'd take it and they both went indoors (Sakura pausing to remove her shoes and put on slippers).

"Moshi-moshi," _Hello,_ Tomoyo announced, "Sore hitotsu nagai jikan kara watashitachi saigo kikoemasu kara anata deshita!" _It was a long time since we last heard from you!_ Eriol was always as cool as a cucumber.

"Moshi-moshi, Daijoudi-chan; watashi wa shōtai shimasu anata to Kinomoto-chan watashi no ie e Igirisu ni, watashi shit·te imasu anatachi mochimasu shōtais Hogwarts e soshite watashi mochi sō! Watashi wa agemasu anatachi sono jōhō ni Hogwarts." _Hello, Miss Daijoudi; I am inviting you and Miss Kinomoto to my home in England, I know you have invitations to Hogwarts and so have I! I will give you the info about Hogwarts._ He told her, Tomoyo relayed this to Sakura and they agreed that this would be the best course of action. Thusly, after giving Eriol an affirmative answer, Sakura went home and both of them made their affirmative responses for delivery by the owls in their gardens.

"Watashi wa sō ureshī!" _I'm so happy!_ Sonomi cried when Tomoyo told her the news. "Watashi kore o suki desu mimasu e Fujitaka-san saikō sore!" _I'd like to see Fujitaka best that!_ Tomoyo sighed and gave her mother big news.

"Sakura-chan zut·to ī desu watashi yorimo, are nani ga arundesu watashi itsu deshita jū toshis o tot·ta." _Sakura is much better than me, that's what happened when I was ten years old._ Now it turned out she had magical powers, Tomoyo considered it was now or never to spill the beans. This resulted in a long pause from her mother.

"Watashi wa ikimasu te ni iremasu anata to Sakura-chan hitotsu yoyaku shimasu hikōki de Igirisu e ashita!" _I'm going to get you and Sakura a booking on tomorrow's flight to England!_ She told Tomoyo and went towards the nearest phone. 'Touya has a sixth sense,' She thought, 'It makes sense for Sakura to be a witch as well as dear Tomoyo.'


	2. Revelations

Character Pronunciation: Sakura (Sack-ku-ra) Kinomoto (Kin-no-moe-toe), Touya (Toy-ya), Fujitaka (Fu-ji-tack-ka), Tomoyo (Tom-moy-yo) Daijoudi (Die-jew-dee), Sonomi (Son-no-me), Yukito (You-ki-toe).

For once Sakura did not need a bucket of water to wake her up or anything like that, she set her alarm and she was excited about this day. Tomoyo told her yesterday evening over the phone that they had a flight booked this morning and Sakura was determined not to miss it!

She had packed most of her stuff last night and this morning she had time to pack all necessary clothing, her pyjamas and essential bathroom cosmetics; however there was one she'd have to pack carefully without arousing suspicion.

"Tabun hitotsu hako ni anas to is·sho ni shimasen itamimasu." _Maybe a box with holes in won't hurt._ Kero suggested, this idea seemed to go well with both of them as discreet and convenient. Kero tried out a shoe box with some small pock holes lined with tissue paper and cotton wool. "Tadashī dake sore wa ryokō shimasu desu." _It's just right for travelling_ Kero commented, Sakura smiled sweetly with a job well done, flying to England would be much longer than a bus journey to Tomoyo's mansion and even that was difficult for Kero when it came to discretion and breathing.

While Sakura was having breakfast she was also giving major goodbyes to Touya and her father.

"Anata shite kakimasu?" _Will you write?_ Fujitaka asked her in fear that her absence will give him a feeling of loss.

"Watashi desu kakimasu tabitabi no yat·te mite mo ī desu ka!" _I'll try to write frequently!_ Sakura promised, she was also getting a feeling of loss by leaving her family.

Just as the Kinomotos were finishing breakfast the sound of a car pulling up outside the house could be heard and about 20 seconds later there was a knock on the door, Fujitaka went to answer it, he was surprised to see a woman dressed completely in black with classic sunglasses.

"Daijoudi-chan tanomimasu Kinomoto-chan kuremasen ka kūkō made." _Miss Daijoudi asks to give Miss Kinomoto a lift to the airport._ The woman in black told him in a voice absent of emotion, noting this he called to Sakura.

"Tomoyo-chan anata kuremasen ka kūkō made, Sakura-chan!" _Tomoyo is giving you a lift to the airport, Sakura!_ Upon hearing this Sakura went to get her luggage, but Tomoyo predicted that there'd be too much for her to carry by herself and instructed her bodyguards to help her.

After hauling all heavy luggage into a van that would be tailing the Daijoudi limo to the airport Sakura said her last goodbyes to Touya and her father and, at Tomoyo's beckoning, entered the limousine at her side.

"Kero-chan desu anata to is·sho ni?" _Is Kero with you?_ Tomoyo asked Sakura in a whisper as the limousine meandered it's way through the streets of Tomoeda.

"Kare desu koko ni." _He's in here._ Sakura answered at the same volume and discreetly opened one of the corners of the box; Kero saw Tomoyo and noted the car window behind her.

"Dōmo!" _Hi!_ Kero greeted quietly. "Oshigoto kan·gaemasu no watashi no ryokō shimasu hako ī deshō ka?" _What do you think of my travelling box?_ He asked Tomoyo.

"Kashikoi totemo!" _Very clever!_ She answered; the rest of the journey was rather uneventful as they approached the airport. Tomoyo had informed her bodyguards that she would not need them whilst in England, but they did help Sakura and Tomoyo get their luggage and proceed through all the usual circumstances at the airport. Sakura was worried when security insisted on checking her cardboard box, but she pulled it off as Kero was listening to it all and played dead as the lid of the box was lifted. Just before Sakura and Tomoyo boarded their flight Sakura purchased a Japanese-English phrasebook, although she could read English calligraphy and understand at least 52 English words she needed a phrasebook to help her speak fluently.

"Sayōnara!" _Goodbye!_ Tomoyo said in farewell to her bodyguards.

"Ki o tsukeru, Daijoudi-san!" _Take care, Miss Daijoudi!_ The head bodyguard replied as Tomoyo and Sakura gathered their entire personal luggage (including Kero's travel-box) and made for the gate.

During the flight Tomoyo kept herself occupied by looking through her photo collection of battle costumes for Sakura; finding this too embarrassing Sakura occupied herself by running her eyes over the letter from Hogwarts and the list of magic items Tomoyo and herself had to get. After they found both these things becoming monotonous, particularly due to the sun getting lower in the sky, they went to sleep for the majority of the flight.

By the time they woke up they were getting near the British Isles, but they still had just under an hour to kill, Sakura had an idea of how to keep them occupied until they arrived.

"Nani ka watashitachi hajimemasu naraimasu sono Eigo gaikoku-go ip·pai de, Tomoyo-chan!" _Let's start learning the English language in full, Tomoyo!_ She suggested, Tomoyo smiled in satisfaction.

"Kan·gae yokat·ta, Sakura-chan! Watashi mochimasu watashi-jishin no kaiwa-hyōgen-shū." _Good idea, Sakura! I have my own phrasebook._ Tomoyo replied eagerly, reaching into one of her own bags to get her Japanese-English phrasebook.

By the time the flight attendant announced the plane's preparations for landing, Sakura and Tomoyo had managed to get the hang of the basics in the English language (the Clow/Sakura Cards had their names in English so that's a start).

"Dono kūkō watashitachi ikundesu e, Tomoyo-chan?" _Which airport are we going to, Tomoyo?_ Sakura asked as they strapped themselves in for landing.

"Haha sore shite desu kūkō Heathrow īmashita!" _Mother said it will be Heathrow Airport!_ Tomoyo replied and they both braced for the metabolic effects of descent.

Upon coming to the part of customs inquiring to the nature of the visit Sakura and Tomoyo decided that, as transfer students, their motive would be business; the rest of customs was dealt with just the same as when they left Japan. Then they commenced to pass through the entrance hall when they spotted a familiar figure just off from the middle of the entrance hall.

"Nagai jikan, mimasu ga arimasen, Sakura-san!" _Long time, no see, Sakura!_ Eriol greeted as they approached him. "Watashi wa ureshī mimasu Daijoudi-san mo!" _I'm also glad to see you, Miss Daijoudi!_ Tomoyo was especially flabbergasted.

"Dō shimashita anata shit·te imashita watashitachi watashite koko desu?" _How did you know we would be here?_ She asked him in surprise, in response Eriol just smiled and tapped his finger against the side of his nose, Sakura and Tomoyo nodded in understanding.

After receiving the rest of their luggage, Sakura and Tomoyo were led outside by Eriol into, to the surprise of both, a limousine, with enough room in the boot for their entire baggage; after getting in they drove away.

"Watashi shit·te imashitemasen deshita Hiiragizawa-kun kanemochi deshita mo!" _I didn't know you were rich as well!_ Tomoyo commented to Eriol, who just made the same knowing smile without a sound from his lips.

Sakura was amazed not only by seeing that Eriol lived in a mansion as they passed through some gates leading to clearly private grounds, but also by the fact that the grounds were much larger than those at Tomoyo's home. Finally the limo slowed down and came to a stop outside a set of steps leading into the mansion, and boy what a mansion (about the size of the house at Calke Abbey). They heard the driver of the limo exit the vehicle and opened the door on Eriol's side, indicating for them to vacate, but as Sakura and Tomoyo left the vehicle they were surprised to see who the driver was.

"Mizuki-san?" _Ms. Mizuki?_ Sakura said in surprise.

"Hiiragizawa-san īmashita anatatachi kimasu deshita, watashi sō hajimemashita shigoto koko! Sorekara unten shimasen dake." _Mr. Hiiragizawa said you were coming, so I started a job here! And not just driving._ Ms. Mizuki told both Sakura and Tomoyo, as they followed Eriol up the stairs to the front entrance Eriol stopped and turned to Ms. Mizuki standing next to the limo.

"Mizuki-san chūsahjō sono kuruma-te kuremasen ka?" _Could you park the car, Ms. Mizuki?_ He asked her, she nodded in response and moved to the driver's seat to move the vehicle away from the front of the house. Eriol led Sakura and Tomoyo into the house through the front door; they were both awed by the marble hallway that stretched ahead of them.

"Dō dekimasu Igirisu ie desu totemo ōkī?!?" _How can English houses be so big?!?_ Tomoyo inquired to Eriol who replied.

"Taitei sore de hajimemashita deshita sono kuni conda deshita mae ni." _Most were made before the country became crowded._ Sakura and Tomoyo were having a difficult time accepting this as an explanation because, compared to Japan, the UK has a lower population density. "Cerberus desu anatatachi to is·sho ni?" _Is Keroberos with you?_ He asked them as he came to a stop outside a door nearby on the right, Tomoyo and Sakura nodded to each other and Sakura took the lid of the box completely.

"Kek·kō, kara Kero-chan kimasu ima." _Alright, you can come out now._ Sakura informed Kero, who immediately flew out of the box.

"Sore kanjimasu ī desu sore hako kara no!" _It feels good to be out of that box!_ He exclaimed, there wasn't much in the way of room to manoeuvre in that box for him.

"Dō chōshoku kurai?" _How about breakfast?_ Eriol asked them, Sakura was surprised by this request.

"Watashitachi mochimashita sore mō!" _We already had it!_ She told him.

"Nihon ni, hai! Nani chōshoku Igirisu?" _In Japan, yes! What about English breakfast?_ He replied, there was a brief silence before Tomoyo spoke up.

"Sore nagai aida deshita kara chōshoku, sō mochimasu sore chūshoku desu watashitachi kuremasen ka." _It was a long time since breakfast, so we could have it for lunch._ She suggested, Eriol's expression hadn't changed but it did intensify.

"Igirisu ni tabemasu hito shimasu." _In England people can do that._ He tells them, but Tomoyo and Sakura are reluctant to go beyond the doormat.

"Watashitachi no surip·pa desu kuruma ni!" _Our slippers are in the car! _Sakura tells him.

"Igirisu no shirimasen shimpai mochimasu kutsu no okunai!" _English don't worry about wearing shoes indoors!_ He tells them and points to his feet, then they realise that he is still wearing _his_ shoes. Although they still felt uncomfortable about wearing shoes indoors Sakura and Tomoyo decided to let it pass for now, but still wear slippers indoors as much as possible. Vacating their positions on the doormat they walked over to where Eriol was standing.

As Eriol opened the door to reveal a fully laid out, high class dining room, Sakura, Tomoyo and Kero weren't surprised to see Nakuru and Spinel Sun there, but they were surprised to see evidence that Nakuru would be waiting on the table. Eriol led them in and asked them to be seated.

"Doko?" _Where?_ Sakura asked him, Eriol's permanent smile refused to shift as Eriol answered.

"Anatatachi no namae no soba ni anatatachi no tokoro desu." [_Your names are beside your places._ Sakura and Tomoyo started searching round the table for sight of their names before they finally settled down.

"Ruby Moon," Eriol spoke to Nakuru in English, "You may start serving." Nakuru nodded and went over to a table at the side of the room.

"Sakura-san, Daijoudi-san, suki ōtomīru sukoshi kuremasen desu ka?" _Sakura, Miss Daijoudi, would you like some porridge?_ He asked them.

"Hai!" _Yes, please!_ Sakura replied, eager to try this Western-style dish. Tomoyo just nodded her head with a grunt meaning 'OK'.

"I'll just have some cornflakes, please, Ruby." Eriol told Nakuru, who already understood what Sakura and Tomoyo would have.

"Eriol-kun, totemo ī koko desu ka!" _It's so good letting us stay here!_ Sakura commented to Eriol in a gesture of gratitude.

"Anatatachi mot·to jōhō Hogwarts no soko de mae ni ikimasu kuremasen." _You'll need more information about Hogwarts before going there._ He replied, still carrying that knowing smile.

"Sorekara watashitachi naraimasu-nakute wa narimasen mot·to Eigo kuremasen!" _And we'll have to learn more English!_ Tomoyo chimed in, Eriol nodded in response.

"Watashi tetsudaimasu-koto ga dekimasu to is·sho ni sore mo!" _I can help you there, too!_ He added, by now Nakuru was going round serving the first part of the breakfast.

Just then Ms. Mizuki came in and whispered something into Eriol's ear.

"That's okay," Eriol replied to her, "You may start serving." Sakura and Tomoyo became confused by the fact that both Nakuru and Ms. Mizuki would be serving.

"Sukoshi Igirisu kōcha tameshimasu kuremasen ka, Kinomto-san?" _Would you like to try some English tea, Miss Kinomoto?_ Ms. Mizuki asked her, Sakura made an eager reply.

"Hai!" _Sure!_ At this reply Ms. Mizuki poured her a cup from the pot on the table.

"Miruku? Satō?" _Milk? Sugar?_ She added in query, Sakura hesitated in reply, she wasn't familiar with the practice of adding either of these to tea, especially milk.

"Watashi osusume no hon no sukoshi miruku no, Sakura-san!" _I recommend just a spot of milk, Sakura!_ Eriol suggested, knowing Sakura's inexperience with English culture. "Igirisu ni kōcha desumasen hontō ni oishī nashi de miruku!" _In England tea isn't really nice without milk!_ He added as an observation of British culture while Ms. Mizuki went ahead with Eriol's suggestion and poured a bit of milk in Sakura's tea. Tomoyo then asked to try some English tea as well.

After the first part of breakfast was over Eriol asked Nakuru and Ms. Mizuki to serve the 2nd half, just then the door opened and Sakura, Tomoyo and Kero turned towards it to see…

"Shaoran-kun!!!" Sakura cried out in surprise and joy. "Nani anata koko shimasu?!?" _What are you doing here?!?_ Shaoran was originally carrying a slight expression of contempt, but seeing Sakura there gave him an expression of surprise and embarrassment.

"Sakura-chan!" He said in amazement and then looked around the room. "Daijoudi-san, Cerberus?!?" He was flabbergasted, Eriol then decided to give them a piece of Western philosophy.

"Furui Igirisu kotowaza ga iru! 'Sore kes·shite amemasen, demo sore doshaburi.'" _There's an old English saying! 'It never rains, but it pours.'_ He told them, they were at a loss for what this meant at the time, but would find out later on. While all of this was going on Kero and Spinel were in the midst of an argument.

"Nani mo desumasen to onaji subarashīsa no bideo-gēmu!" _Nothing is as great as video games!_ Kero cried out, glaring at Spinel. "Omoshiroi sorera desu!" _They're exciting!_ Spinel made a calmer, but equally justifying reply.

"Sorera me itamimasu! Mot·to omoshiroi hon desu!" _They hurt the eyes! Books are more interesting!_ At this Kero couldn't control himself anymore and grabbed a strawberry chew from a stack of chews nearby and stuffed it down Spinel's throat, Spinel cheeks started to go rosy and his eyes began to light up, fortunately Sakura spotted this and cried out.

"ABUNAI!!! Spinel-san yop·parat·ta desu!" [_LOOK OUT _(lit. dangerous)_!!! Spinel is drunk!_ And she ducked under the table, Tomoyo did the same and Shaoran ducked behind the door, Nakuru's eyes lit up with joy while Eriol calmly left the table and walked toward the next room. Spinel Sun now shot up into the air and dive-bombed towards the stack of chews, Kero flew up in pursuit grabbing a piece of chocolate on the way.

The next couple of minutes were mayhem; Spinel Sun was shooting round the room with Kero and Nakuru chasing after him brandishing sweets/chocolates before Eriol finally returned with a cup of coffee, Ms. Mizuki following on behind him with a percolator on standby. Next Eriol took a sugar cube from out of a secret compartment in his jacket and flashed it in the direction of Spinel, who caught sight of it and dive-bombed straight towards Eriol.

"That's right," Eriol said in a calm voice, "Come get the sweet sugar." And just as Spinel reached for it, Eriol slipped it out of sight in the blink of an eye and he dove straight into the coffee. "Modot·te kyandī okimasu, onegai shimasu!" _Put the sweets back, please!_ He asked (or, rather, told) Kero and Nakuru, who both reluctantly did so. "Zembu tōmei!" _All clear!_ He announced and the three who ducked slowly came back into view.

After they finished breakfast and the mess after that fiasco was cleared up Eriol invited his guests into the study.

"Osuwari kudasai, onegai shimasu." _Please, sit down._ He said, at which all of them (including Kero) sat down, all the humans on chairs while Kero perched himself on the left arm of Sakura's chair. "Nani ka ga arimasu anatatachi shite imanakute wa narimasen mae ni Hogwarts e watashitachi ikimasu!" _There's something you should know before we go to Hogwarts!_ This caught their attention, but Shaoran was the only one who did not sit up at hearing this, but there was an inkling of his feelings on the subject upon his face. "Saisho, Clow Read gakusei Hogwarts e deshite, watashitachi sō shitara daijōbu desu, demo Daijoudi-san shite kyōryoku hitsuyō desu!" _First, Clow Read was a student at Hogwarts so we should be alright, but Miss Daijoudi will need help!_ They all nodded in understanding. "Ni-bam·me, josei to majo to is·sho ni namae Potter Lily, totemo atama ga ī kanojo deshite soshite min·na no Clow Read to Clow kādo shit·te imashite!" _Secondly, there was a witch with the name Lily Potter, she was very intelligent and knew all about Clow Read and the Clow cards!_ They were all amazed by this.

"Nani kanojo okorimashite?" _What happened to her?_ Sakura asked, to which Eriol solemnly answered.

"Warui otoko no hito to majishan is·sho ni namae Voldemort, totemo warui kare deshite! Kare kanojo koroshite, demo sore wa īmashite desu nani ka kanojo no mada kore sekai ni!" _There was a bad wizard _(lit. magician)_ with the name of Voldemort, he was very bad! He killed her, but it's said there's something of hers still left in this world!_ Now Shaoran was getting curious.

"Nani Voldemort okorimashite?" _What happened to Voldemort?_ Eriol now gave some very important information.

"Kare koroshite sukoshi no toshi mae, demo kare modot·te kimashite, arigatō kare no shi taberuku." _He was killed a few years ago, but he came back, thanks to his death eaters._ He told them, Sakura was clearly uncomfortable about going somewhere that could be vulnerable to such nastiness (I suppose that in Japanese culture evil is entirely subjective), so he reassured her. "Demo kare no mahou shitai desu shiai nai arera no Sakura-san to kādo desu!" _But his powers are no match for those of Sakura and the cards!_ After a few minutes Sakura asked him.

"Hi de watashitachi naranakereba narimasen Eigo shimasu itsu?" _When in the day do we study English?_ Eriol once again was calm in his reply.

"Watashitachi hajimemasu to is·sho ni chōshoku kuji ni; sore kara karada renshū jūji ni soshite kudasai ichijikan desu soshite sore kara chūshoku! Watashitachi naraimasu Eigo gogo ni moshi ano kek·kō desu." _We start with breakfast at nine o'clock; then PT at ten and a rest for an hour and then lunch! We'll study English in the afternoon if that's all right._ Sakura and Tomoyo nodded eagerly while Shaoran just nodded in understanding, just then Ms. Mizuki came in.

"Sakura-san, Daijoudi-san, heya desu yōi ga dekita moshi anatatachi desu yōi ga dekita watashi desu oshiete sono no hō!" _Sakura, Miss Daijoudi, your rooms are ready if you're ready to follow me!_ She told them, they looked at Eriol to see if it was alright.

"Anatatachi mo ī ikimasu!" _You may go!_ He told them, so they bowed upon standing and followed Ms. Mizuki to unpack, with Kero following them.


	3. Diagon Alley' or 'Two Worlds Collide'

In the few weeks that passed Sakura, Tomoyo, Shaoran and even Kero succeeded in learning so much English that they were practically as fluent as Eriol; but Sakura and Kero still carried strong Japanese accents whilst Tomoyo and Shaoran had managed to get round the pronunciation. Then, in late August, Eriol had some news for them.

"We will be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow!" He told them, leaving out abbreviations to help them understand.

"Where?!?" Sakura and Shaoran asked him in surprise.

"Daigon Alley." Eriol repeated. "That is where we will get all the stuff needed at Hogwarts, but their money is different to Japanese and English, so we will need to swap it!" They were thankful for this explanation but were also a bit worried about the situation with exchange rates.

Later, as the sun was setting, Sakura busied herself with packing all she would not require for the night and next morning, as she started packing her clothes she heard a knock on the door.

"Hai? I mean 'Yes'?" She called out, the door opened to reveal Ms. Mizuki.

"Sakura-san, a word of advice. Watch out for students in the house of Slytherin at Hogwarts!" She advised her, Sakura was bewildered though.

"Why?" She asked, Ms. Mizuki sighed and explained.

"They are not the friendliest of students; some have a bad view on wizards and witches who have muggle parents!" Sakura was starting to get the idea, but she was still a bit confused.

"Muggle?" She repeated in bewilderment.

"Non-magical people," Ms. Mizuki explained, "Slytherin students also cheat a lot and often try to get others in trouble! Believe me, I know!" Those last few words suddenly struck Sakura like a lightning bolt.

"Mizuki-san, YOU went to Hogwarts?!?" She asked in surprise.

"Hai, but I was a transfer student at a Japanese school of magic in my fifth year." The irony of the situation didn't take long to sink into the both of them.

The next day all four of them were packed up and ready to go, Sakura had found a more discreet way of keeping Kero out of sight than the shoebox she brought from Japan. Ms. Mizuki had brought the limo out to take them within suitable walking distance of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Ki o tsukeru." _Take care_ Eriol said in farewell to Kaho Mizuki before he led Sakura's group into the Leaky Cauldron.

"Ah, greetings youn' sir!" The barkeeper greeted as Eriol approached him. "Cannai offer you a quick one?" The meaning of 'quick one' was lost to the Oriental trio, who weren't much good with slang.

"No, thank you." Eriol calmly replied. "The four of us are here on business." The barkeeper caught on quick, but he was puzzled.

"Yer'all seem a bit youn' to start 'ogwarts now!" He informed them, however Eriol had a good reply to that statement.

"We're transfer students!" He told the barkeeper, who nodded and gestured towards a small doorway behind the bar. Eriol indicated to the others to follow him and passed through the doorway.

Sakura's group found themselves standing in a small, grey yard, apparently fruitless. Just then Eriol took out his Clow key and summoned his staff; after which he tapped a sequence on a brick wall. Sakura's group were amazed as the bricks started to shift left and right, while Eriol returned his staff to it's key form.

"Welcome," He spoke to the trio, "To Diagon Alley!" Sakura and Tomoyo were in awe of the old-style street that stretched ahead of them, filled with the buzz of a marketplace; Shaoran only showed mild surprise at such hustle and bustle revealed from what was a bland little corner of a yard.

"That tall building at the back," Eriol indicated to them, "Is the wizard bank, called Gringott's! That is where we get the money for purchasing what we need in the world of wizards. This is because wizard money is of a more traditional style than British money!" He led them through the thrall of wizards and witches seeking their supplies.

Upon entering the bank Sakura became on edge.

"Eriol-kun," She asked him, "Nani kono mono?" _What are these things?_ Eriol just smiled calmly as usual and replied.

"Goblins! They aren't very friendly, but they are trustworthy! That's why they work here!" He led them up to one of the counters. "Excuse me," He greeted the goblin there, "But Miss Daijoudi here," He indicated Tomoyo, "Would like to exchange some money!" The goblin looked unsympathetically at Tomoyo and stated.

"How much would she like to exchange?" Tomoyo cautiously took a few bundles of notes worth thousands, if not millions, of Yen; she gingerly handed them to the goblin who steadily removed them from her grasp and weighed them on a pair of magical scales indicating their worth in wizard money.

"Daijoudi-san, machimasu koko-koto ga dekimasu ka?" _Miss Daijoudi, can you wait here?_ Eriol asked her, Tomoyo hesitated for a while before timidly replying affirmatively. Eriol indicated for Sakura and Shaoran to follow him to another counter.

"Pardon me," He greeted the goblin at the other counter, "But us three request a withdrawal!" Once again the goblin observed them with no positive emotions whatsoever and asked.

"Do you have your keys?" Sakura was a bit confused, but Eriol just winked at her and took his Clow key out; she understood and took out her own key, Shaoran had already had his key in hand, given to him by his mother.

They were led deep into the vaults of the bank on a vehicle similar to a mining cart, it made it's first stop with the goblin announcing it as 'Vault 301' (once belonging to a distant relative of the Li clan). This was Shaoran's vault, he handed his key to the goblin (neither showing any emotion) who opened the vault with it revealing quite a substantial amount of gold coins. Being highly economical in his disposition, Shaoran only took two handfuls, believing them to be enough.

The following vault was Eriol's, previously used by Clow Read himself 'Vault 52'. When the door was opened a few gold coins spilled out, giving Shaoran and Sakura some idea of the quantity in the vault itself. Eriol conscientiously claimed the coins that had been spilt and a few bags full of what was still in the vault (not literally).

Sakura's vault was right next door as 'Vault 53', upon the door was an inscription in Japanese kanji which translated as 'Heir to my cards, make good use of the contents of this vault! Clow Read.' Feeling indebted to this message, Sakura made sure she would only take a small percentage of the contents. Upon opening the vault, however, Sakura was stunned, right before her was a landscape of gold coins stretching deep into the earth. This reassured Sakura and she took quite a bit and even that didn't make 1 of the contents.

By the time they returned to Tomoyo she was on edge, having received her exchange and waiting for them while surrounded by goblins; this meant that they had to hurry to keep up with her, even with Eriol pleading for her to stop, but she was too distressed. Upon going through the doors of the bank she bumped into a red-haired boy who was talking to a boy and a girl just outside.

"Gomen·nasai!" _Sorry!_ She apologised without thinking, she held out her hand to help him up.

"You're new here, aren't you?" The other boy asked.

"You could call us transfer students." Sakura answered as she descended the steps from the bank, just then she noticed an unusual feature in this boy, he had an odd-shaped scar on his forehead. 'It's like a lightning bolt!' Sakura's mind said.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves." The boy replied. "I'm sure you already know who I am!" Sakura shook her head in indication that she had no idea; this surprised the boys and the girl.

"Surely you must've heard of the boy who lived!" The girl commented carrying the certainty that everyone in the wizarding world did.

"Īe." _No._ Sakura replied, but the three others had no concept of it's meaning.

"Well," The red-haired boy commented, "It seems clear they don't know, let's move on. My name's Weasley, Ron Weasley!"

"Hm," Murmured the girl in agreement, "I am Hermione Granger!"

"I'm Harry," The last boy replied, "Harry Potter!" There was still no shock or amazement on the faces of Sakura and her friends, Sakura just bowed in greeting as she answered.

"I am Sakura, Kinomoto Sakura!" Now Harry's group were dumbfounded.

"She means she's Sakura Kinomoto," Eriol commented, "My name's Eriol Hiiragizawa."

"My name is Daijoudi, Daijoudi Tomoyo!"

"I assume you mean 'Tomoyo Daijoudi'!" Hermione commented, notifying which name sounded more like a surname.

"This," Eriol added, indicating Shaoran, "Is Shaoran Li!" Shaoran simply grunted while Sakura and Tomoyo bowed. Harry's group were bewildered by them bowing.

"Why do you keep bowing?" Ron asked them, Hermione nudged him, believing it was rude of him to ask that.

"Sakura and Miss Daijoudi are from Japan," Eriol replied, "It is normal to bow in greeting over there!"

"Just a minute!" Sakura cried out. "You're family name is 'Potter'." She mentioned to Harry, who nodded. "Potter, Potter? Any relation to Lily Potter?" Harry sighed and replied.

"Lily Potter was my… mother!" Just then Hermione was dumbfounded again.

"You lot have heard of Harry's mother, but not Harry?!?" Hermione commented, Eriol made a reply to that.

"I told them of Lily Potter, but we're not familiar with Harry's claim to fame." Upon hearing this Hermione paused for a second and made a suggestion.

"We've got some shopping to do." She commented. "Why don't all go round together and maybe we can have a talk back at the Leaky Cauldron?" Ron turned round and said.

"I'd hate to say it, but for once Miss Brainbox is right!" Sakura's group followed Harry, who took the initiative to go along with Hermione's idea, with affirmative replies. Just as Ron followed on Hermione said.

"What did you call me?" And took her position as rear guard (metaphorically speaking).

After an hour or so Sakura's group had received most of what they were required; when they were buying their robes Tomoyo was in virtual depression at the blandness and absence of cuteness in them.

"We only need our wands now!" Eriol commented, both as information for Sakura's group and as a hint for Harry's group

"This is the shop you'll want," Harry commented, pointing up to the shop's sign, "Ollivander's, I can think of no where else to get them!" He led the septet into the shop.

"Hello." Tomoyo called out at seeing an empty shop. "Anyone here is there?" Just then an old-looking man shot out from behind the shop on a ladder.

"Ah, we meet again, Mr. Potter!" The old man said.

"These four," Harry replied, indicating Sakura's group "Are exchange students, but they are in need of wands!" In response to this the old man got down and whipped out a tape measure.

"Who will be first?" He asked, Eriol stepped up in response in order to show how it was done. "Which hand is your wand hand?" Eriol held out his left hand and the old man measured it and wrote down the measurement. Then he began to ferret through the stacks of wands around him. "Here," He said, pulling out one of the wand boxes, "Dragon scale, phoenix feather and elm wood, seven inches." He gingerly removed the wand from the box and handed it to Eriol, remembering procedure from his past life he waved it randomly and sent a few books flying off the counter and dutifully returned it to the shopkeeper. "Ah," Commented the shopkeeper, "I'm sure dragon scale suits you!" He went and tried another. "Maybe dragon scale and yew wood, nine inches." Once again Eriol waved it, but the result was worse, several wand cases shot right off their shelves. "Oh." The shopkeeper commented, he then delved deeper into the shop to the second-hand wands, and then he pulled out one wand case with a red seal on it. "Three hundred years." He mused to himself and went back to Eriol, this time handing him the whole case. "Dragon scale, phoenix feather and alder wood, eleven inches." He was speaking in a much lower volume; Eriol held the case carefully, like a treasure that had not been seen in years. Then the seal faded away and Eriol removed the lid and took out the wand, a warm breeze blew through the shop. "Amazing," The shopkeeper commented, "Amazing! I remember that wand well, only one previous owner who went away to the Orient and was never seen in England for three centuries!"

This time Shaoran came up, he carried his usual emotionless face. "Let me see your wand hand, boy." The shopkeeper mentioned, Shaoran thusly extended his right arm and it was measured. "Now then," The shopkeeper commented as he took out another wand, "I think dragon scale, unicorn hair and plum tree wood, eight inches." Shaoran took hold of it and waved it around, resulting in an aurora swirling round his head. "Excellent!" He cried.

Now Tomoyo stepped forward, Sakura noticed that Ron was sheltering behind Harry, who seemed to be taking this pretty well. "This hand is that I use!" Tomoyo commented before the shopkeeper could ask her, holding out her right hand; once again the shopkeeper started ferreting. "Maybe," He commented, handing her a wand, "Phoenix feather, unicorn hair and lime tree wood, five inches." Tomoyo held it nervously and gave it a little shake, a glass tumbler smashed to pieces off to her right. "No, no, definitely not!" He tried again with a slightly longer wand. "Unicorn hair and apple tree wood, six inches." Tomoyo once again gave it a light shake, but this time a few sparks of a cool colour zipped around the end of the wand. "OK." The shopkeeper commented.

Now it was Sakura's turn, after the shopkeeper measured her right hand she asked him.

"Do you not have trouble if your shop is damaged every time someone buys a wand?" The shopkeeper just smiled and replied.

"Young lady, when you've been in the business as long as I have you know a good customer is one who fails lots of wands! It's a cinch to put everything back afterwards!" He then began his search for another wand. "Perhaps this one will suffice. Unicorn hair and oak, eleven inches." Sakura took it from him and swung it from right to left, a load of books fell off their shelves at the left end of the shop. "Seems not to be the case!" He tried again with all different compositions and lengths, causing the shop to be trashed more and more, even various second-hand wands didn't suffice.

"Sorry," Sakura apologised, "Would we be able to help?" The shopkeeper only smiled and said.

"That's alright, at the end of the day it's like rebuilding the whole shop, regardless of who in particular comes in." He then spotted one neglected wand box on the floor nearby. "Hmm." He mused, lifting it up and handing Sakura the wand inside. "Unicorn hair, phoenix, feather, dragon scale and cherry tree wood, nine inches." Sakura took it and immediately a halo of light formed round her on the floor. "Great power that last failed a young witch in 1809, to enter your hands. You must be very powerful!" Suddenly a thought dawned on Sakura.

"This wand, who made it?" The shopkeeper leaned close and said.

"A mighty wizard, who I have not heard in name! The wand chooses the master, Miss Kinomoto! We cannot be sure why. But it is clear that you'll make wizarding history, for the maker never used it, no one had ever successfully wielded it before you!" Sakura's group now had a very good idea of this wand's maker, especially Eriol, who held his wand like he had possessed it before. Harry's group were just stunned that Sakura was to wield such power.

Their final purchases were their familiars: Eriol purchased a black cat, in place of Spinel Sun; Shaoran chose a golden owl; Tomoyo chose a bluish-grey and white patterned owl, which she called 'kawaii'; Sakura took care to choose a small, brown owl to avoid any trouble on Kero's part.

Back at the Leaky Cauldron Eriol arranged four rooms for himself, Sakura, Shaoran and Tomoyo; Harry's group already had rooms. While sitting downstairs, Hermione returned to the topic they left when they first met, delivering all info on Harry and Voldemort up to the end of the previous school year.

"HOEEE!!!" Sakura cried out once Hermione had finished. "How can anyone be so horrible?!?"

"I heard nothing so bad!" Tomoyo commented, Shaoran was on the brink of fury.

"No wonder he was killed!" He added. "He had it coming to him!"

"You've forgotten," Hermione commented, "He came back in the previous Spring!" Just then Sakura's warm-hearted disposition came into play.

"Can he not be returned from this horror? Can he not lose the badness in his heart?!?" She asked desperately, hoping that unpleasant aspects of a personality can be removed from anybody.

"He's evil!" Hermione answered. "He is the heir of Slytherin, founder of the house named after him and a believer in thorough-bred wizards and witches! He believes exactly the same and seems to be a tyrannical megalomaniac!" Eriol refined all the complicated English words for Sakura's group to understand.

"He has no right to live!" Harry added. "He murdered my parents and many others, including some in long wizarding lines because they refused to follow him!" Then Shaoran, positively infuriated commented.

"He doesn't even deserve to die, he should not even exist!" Eriol understood this perfectly, but Sakura and Tomoyo didn't catch on.

Not long afterwards they retired to their rooms to be ready for when they had to set off for Hogwarts; Sakura's mind was in turmoil, she felt she had to do something to stop the reign of terror Voldemort had created, but she couldn't see how as she wanted to place a light in his heart somehow, she was reluctant to kill anyone regardless of reason.


	4. Magic and Travel

Eriol managed to arrange transport for himself, Sakura and the other two; Harry's group were being given a lift by Ron's parents. Sakura had made sure she would get up at the right time and found she actually had to wake Kero up to ensure he was aware of what was going on so he wouldn't create a scene.

Upon arriving a King's Cross station Sakura's group met up with Harry's group who had allowed Ron's parents to get Ron's siblings on the platform first.

"Here are your tickets!" Hermione said, handing them four heritage-style tickets. "You'll have to keep them with you!" She added. Sakura looked at her ticket and was shocked by the platform's number.

"Platform 9¾ how do you get to?" She asked, too shocked to get her English grammar right.

"Follow us and we'll show you!" Harry answered confidently, so Sakura's group got all their wizarding gear on some trolleys, which Ron pointed out, and followed the experienced three into the station.

(I would like to point out that platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross are not linked and aren't in the main part of the station! J.K. Rowling must've made a mistake while writing.)

"I can't see any sign of it!" Shaoran commented as they were led along platform 9.

"That's the point!" Hermione replied. "It's gotta be kept hidden from muggles!"

"What muggles are?" Tomoyo asked her in surprise.

"Non-magic folk!" She answered, Eriol made sure that Sakura's group could understand what she meant by folk.

"Ah," Harry commented passing under an arch between platforms 9 and 10, "Here we are!" Sakura and Shaoran looked round in confusion, all they could see were platforms 9 and 10.

"Where is third platform?" Tomoyo asked them.

"Right there." Ron answered, pointing to the wall between the platforms. "Shall I go first?" He asked Hermione.

"Oh, go ahead Ron!" She replied, so Ron aligned himself with the wall and charged straight through.

gasp "How do you do that?!?" Sakura asked both Harry and Hermione.

"It's perfectly simple." Hermione answered. "All you do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10!"

"It can be unnerving," Harry commented, "So you'd be best running at it!"

"How about Tomoyo and I follow you through, Harry?" Eriol asked him. "And then perhaps Sakura and Shaoran could follow Hermione afterwards." Sakura, Tomoyo and Shaoran were having great difficulty with calling mixed company they didn't know too well by their given names.

"Alright." Harry agreed ambivalently, he then aligned himself up and waited for Eriol and Tomoyo to line up behind him. Upon the certainty that they had done so, he charged towards the wall and slipped straight through. Eriol followed closely, but didn't charge, just walking through the wall; Tomoyo waited for a while and made a run at it, carrying some uncertainty, and also vanished through the wall. Sakura was flabbergasted; this wall clearly had more of an effect than just passing through a (seemingly) solid object.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked them, Shaoran nodded with only a glimmer of nervousness, Sakura also nodded but had one of her hands on her key of stars, just in case. Hermione charged forward vanishing through the wall; Shaoran was the first to follow and also vanished. Sakura's personal feelings now guided her as she ran after them, when she came to a stop she was amazed by her surroundings, the wall she passed through was behind her and a completely new look to the station surrounded her.

"Koko ni!" _Over here!_ Shaoran called out to her, Sakura spotted were they were and went over, she was stunned by the sight of the train they were meant to board.

"Just give your trolleys to the porters," Ron told them, "Your stuff won't get mixed up with anyone else's!" And he went off to board the train.

"You'd better get on board once you've given your luggage to the porters!" Harry added. "The train's due to leave soon." He indicated the luggage carriage with porters standing around it and he and Hermione went to board the train.

Sakura's group had difficulty finding a compartment on the Hogwarts Express as most were filled with other students, Eriol led them from carriage to carriage but they still found no compartment with spare seats.

"Hello again!" Came a familiar voice from up ahead. "Why don't you lot come and sit with us!" They looked towards the source of the voice and spotted Harry Potter gesturing towards one compartment.

"So, how did you guys get into this?" Ron asked them as they sat down, with Sakura's group facing backwards and Harry's group facing forwards. Shaoran and Sakura were now filled with nervousness as their minds tried hard to make an excuse, fortunately Eriol filled in for them.

"We had some important business in Japan!" He told them. "We might've been invited earlier, but we had to recuperate!" Sakura and Shaoran took a while to absorb this excuse and confirm it.

"Err, hai!" Tomoyo added, notifying Sakura's response and playing along.

"Is it true you have a lot of earthquakes in Japan?" Hermione asked them, Sakura shook her head and replied.

"I only been in one earthquake while alive, it was not that serious though! A few things falled from the shelves." Just then a rattling sound came down the corridor and a tea lady with a snack trolley arrived at the door to the compartment.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" She asked them; Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other for a bit and Harry answered.

"Four chocolate frogs and… two boxes of Bertie Bott's every-flavour beans, please!" He measured out the price from a mound of gold coins in his pocket. Upon received them he handed them over to Sakura's group "These are for you!"

"Really?" Sakura asked him, he nodded his head and she gasped. "Arigato gozaimasu!" _Thank you very much!_ She replied.

"Don't worry about the chocolate frogs!" Ron told them. "They only move because of a magic spell! Besides it's the cards you want!" Sakura and Shaoran were bowled over by the last bit.

"Cards! What cards?!?" Sakura asked. "What do they do?!?"

"Calm down, Sakura-san!" Eriol told her, he added the following information in Japanese. "Futsū no kādo sorera desu!" _They are ordinary cards!_ "Except that they move like in a film!" Tomoyo opened up her chocolate frog and was startled as it leapt out the box and on to the window.

"Catch it!" Harry and Ron called out in unison; Tomoyo only just got it before it exited.

"Dō yū kanji desu ka?" _What's it like?_ Sakura asked as Tomoyo tried it.

"Sore wa chokorēto dake desu!" _It's only chocolate!_ She replied confidently, finishing it off.

"Well," Ron asked her eagerly, "Who've you got?" After comprehending what he meant Tomoyo looked at the card in the packet.

"Lupin-san!" She replied.

"Ah, I remember him!" Harry commented. "He was the best DADA teacher we've had so far!"

"D-A-D-A?" Sakura queried.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts!" Hermione answered, Sakura was stupefied now as her mind began to comprehend what the Dark Arts could be.

"Maybe these will help you to relax!" Shaoran commented, offering her a packet of Bertie Bott's; she took one out with a trembling hand and popped it in her mouth.

"What flavour is it?" Ron asked her, Sakura let out a sigh of relief as she replied.

"Sakuranbo. I mean 'Cherry'."

"Sorry about her." Tomoyo said to Harry's group "She's sensitive about those sorts of things." Shaoran now helped himself to a bean.

"Orenji." _Orange._ He commented.

"Err… you mean 'orange'?" Ron queried, to which Shaoran nodded.

"Like some would you?" Sakura asked them opening the other packet.

"I'll chance it!" Ron commented, taking a bean. "Uurghhh! It's onion! 'ow d'yer get so lucky?!?" He groaned.

"Again?" Sakura asked Eriol, she was asking what Ron had said.

"He said 'How did you manage to be lucky enough to get good flavours?'." Eriol answered.

"Go for what you feel," Sakura said in reply to Ron's question, "And you will be rewarded!" Now Ron was bewildered.

"Please?" He asked Eriol in the same context.

"She said 'If you feel a bean is good then it has a good chance of being so!'." He replied, just then the door to the compartment slid open and three cheeky-looking boys stood there.

"Wha's goin' on, Scar-'ead?" The slim one at the front said.

"Leave it off, Malfoy!" Harry replied, Draco turned to Sakura's group and said.

"Some new frien's, eh 'arry? So," He added turning to Sakura specifically, "What's a nice girl like you 'anging round this bunch?"

"Again?" Sakura asked.

"He says 'Why are you with us?'." Ron answered bitterly, then Draco grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her up to meet his face.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo gasped in fear.

"Why don't we find somewhere alone together?" Draco asked her.

"Don't upset Sakura," Eriol advised him, "It might well be the last thing you do!" Draco looked at him and sarcastically replied.

"Awww! What's she gonna do; suffocate me with 'er 'air? Ooh, please don't hurt me!" His two assailants laughed at his sarcastic attitude, Draco commenced to drag Sakura towards the door. Now Sakura raised her free hand and cried out.

"Īe!" _No!_ And, thusly, Draco was thrown back into his assailants and they all fell over backwards. It was clear to everyone that Sakura's hand didn't even touch Draco; telekinesis without wand or actual incantation was unheard of in Hogwarts, even Voldemort was not so powerful. Filled with fear, Draco's group ran off down the corridor while Sakura returned to her seat.

"I not seen that behaviour before!" She commented while Harry's group were completely flabbergasted by what just happened.

"Beware of them in future," Hermione advised her, "They are among the worst bullies in Hogwarts!" She then added. "We'd better change into our robes. Will you two come with me while we leave the boys here?" The last sentence was directed at Sakura and Tomoyo, who complied.

"First years, this way!" Hagrid called out as the train pulled into the station, as the students got off Sakura became a little nervous upon seeing Hagrid.

"Don't mind him!" Harry told her. "He has a friendly disposition!"

"Hai!" _Yes!_ She replied, she then turned to Hermione as her companions drew up beside her. "Go with first years, do we, or not?" She asked her.

"First years and new students go the same way!" Hermione replied and went off after Harry and Ron while Sakura's group went towards Hagrid.

"This way to the boats!" He called out, once sure that all first years were with him.

Sakura was startled by the way that the boats all moved by themselves once everyone was on board, but the sight of Hogwarts itself was astonishing from her point of view, she had never been anywhere so big and rustic.

"Is absolutely amazing!" Tomoyo commented.

"The school is thousands of years old!" Eriol told them.

Everyone was led through a maze of corridors and up several flights of stairs to be greeted by Professor McGonagall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" She announced. "Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. Namely Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin! While you are here your house will be like your family; your triumphs will earn you points, any rule-breaking and you will lose points! At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup." While they waited most of the first years gossiped among themselves.

"Watashi ureshī mina-san kibō shite!" _I hope everyone will be happy!_ Sakura commented to Tomoyo and Shaoran while Eriol just stood there with his same cool smile, he nudged Tomoyo when McGonagall came back as she was still looking at Sakura even when Sakura had turned to face the professor.

"We're ready for you now!" She told them all. "Follow me." And she led them into the Great Hall; Sakura was awed by the sight of the ceiling, or apparent lack thereof.

"Tenjō ga arimasu! Dō yū kanji yoru sora!" _The ceiling is there! It just looks like the night sky!_ Eriol informed her. Just then McGonagall stopped them and said.

"Before we begin the sorting, Prof. Dumbledore would like to say a few words!" At this an old-looking man in the middle of the table ahead of them stood up and said.

"One major rule all new students must remember is that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students! Furthermore I wish to notify all students that we have four exchange students joining us this year; although they'll be sorted like the first years, they'll be classified as fifth years!" And he sat down.

"Now," McGonagall stated, lifting an old wizard's hat of the stool, "When I call your name you will sit on this stool, I will place the sorting hat on your head and you'll be sorted into your houses!" With that she commenced to read out each name of every first year; Sakura, Tomoyo and Shaoran were amazed by the hat actually speaking a house name time after time to sort the students.

"Sore wa atama-yomimasu desu!" _It's a mind-reader!_ Eriol whispered to them. The was a long pause after all first years were sorted leaving Sakura's group standing in the middle of the hall.

"Tomoyo Daijoudi!" (she pronounced it 'Tom-MOY-oh DIE-jew-dee') McGonagall announced; Tomoyo stepped up, making sure she had no tension that might upset the hat, and waited as the hat searched through her capabilities and her desires.

'Most intriguing,' The hat said in her mind, 'A strong selflessness and a willingness to aid others, a bit of a philanthropist. And you have a love for a Miss Kinomoto.' Then it called out. "Gryffindor!" And Tomoyo went over to the Gryffindor table.

"Eriol Hiiragizawa!" (she pron. 'Eh-ree-ol He-were-geez-A-wah') Eriol was absolutely calm as he could remember how Clow Read went through the ordeal.

'Ah,' The hat said in his head, 'Clow Read returns! I know just what to do with you!' And it called out. "Gryffindor!" And Eriol went over to join Tomoyo.

"Sakura Kinomoto!" (she pron. 'Sa-KOO-rah Key-nom-motto') Suddenly Dumbledore sat forward with a glimmer of intrigue on his face as she stepped up, unable to shake out the last bit of tension.

'Hmm,' The hat went. 'You are the heir of Clow Read?!? I wouldn't think a young girl like you would be the heir?'

'Neither did I!' Sakura telepathically replied. 'I was unsure of it at first; worried I wasn't good enough!'

'Well,' It carried on, 'Strong courage, desire to protect, no real sense of superiority or inferiority. No contest!' And it shouted. "Gryffindor!" Tomoyo would've applauded and cheered 'till the cows came home if a hand gesture from Prof. McGonagall hadn't silenced her.

"Shaoran Li!" (she pron. 'Sh-OW-oh-run Lee') And he came up to the hat looking like Mr. Spock.

'Hmm,' Went the hat, 'Difficult, very difficult! You carry many of the attributes that Harry Potter does! A fair player and not one to let personal feelings get in the way except for a few. Better be…' And it called out. "Gryffindor!" Shaoran was both relieved and embarrassed by this.

"I wonder who the new DADA teacher will be." Harry commented as the students chatted amongst themselves, Sakura was intrigued by the various topics.

"I haven't known one DADA teacher who lasted for more than a year!" Hermione commented.

"W-why?" Sakura asked her.

"Well," She replied, "They were either working for Voldemort (said in a whisper) or they were incompetent!"

"Except for Prof. Lupin," Harry commented, "But he resigned because someone snitched on his condition!"

"What condition?" Sakura asked him.

"Well," Harry replied, lowering his voice, "He was a werewolf!"

"Hoe!" Sakura gasped in surprise and shock.

Suddenly Prof. McGonagall tapped the side of her glass and called out. "Your attention, please!" And everyone became silent. Prof. Dumbledore stood up and announced.

"Students of Hogwarts, members of the faculty, I would like you all to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Then Prof. Snape chuntered to himself.

"And let's hope he lasts longer than his predecessors!" The doors to the hall opened and in walked a young-looking man wearing glasses and carrying a jovial smile, he went up to his position at the staff table. Sakura's group were now blatantly flabbergasted.

"Please to welcome…" Dumbledore started, but Sakura and Tomoyo finished for him.

"YUKITO-SAN?!?" McGonagall gave them a stern look, which they soon caught on to.

"…Professor Yukito Tsukishiro!" Dumbledore finished, ensuring all protocol was met.

"Mina-san kon·nichi wa!" _Hello everyone!_ He said, 99 of the students couldn't understand what he just said, but Dumbledore helped out.

"Professor Tsukishiro gives you his greetings!" He tells the whole school. While everyone else politely applauded, Sakura's group responded.

"HAI!" They all called out.

Time passed as the students all talked among themselves; everything seemed to be going well, but Snape seemed to be interrogating Yukito, fortunately Yue came to Yukito's aid in replying to Snape's questions, but Snape was suspicious by Yukito's delayed responses. Then McGonagall repeated her 'attention' procedure and Dumbledore announced.

"Let the feast… begin!" And plates of just about every kind of food imaginable appeared on the tables. Sakura gasped at such a major accomplishment of creation.

"Get stuck in!" Ron told her and her friends, she was bewildered by this.

"Help yourself!" Eriol explained, so she did.

"I wonder where all the ghosts are?" Fred Weasley commented. "They're usually around the hall at this time!" Just as he finished speaking a loud noise echoed through the hall.

"HOOOEEEEEE!!!" The sound rung in all Gryffindor students' ears, Harry turned round to find the source of the voice and saw Sakura had disappeared.

"Where's Sakura?" He asked Tomoyo and Eriol in particular, Tomoyo made a brief peep under the table and replied.

"She still around! You never told us there were ghosts here!" Harry looked at her bewildered and asked her.

"Why?"

"Sakura just can't stand ghosts!" Tomoyo replied. "Even the suggestion of them is bad enough!"

"I had no idea she was Spectrophobic!" Hermione commented.

"She isn't!" Shaoran replied. "She just can't stand ghosts!"

"Hoeee!!!" Came a weaker cry from under the table.

"I hope they don't get offended!" Harry commented.

"Might I suggest," Hermione suggested, "That we all work together to try and help Miss Kinomoto over come her fear of ghosts!" While Harry nodded and Ron just shrugged, Tomoyo and Eriol replied.

"Hai!" _Yes!_ With Shaoran saying the same after a brief blushing, meanwhile Sakura was steadily rising from under the table.

After dinner the houses were led back to their dormitories; Sakura was in awe of the pictures not only moving, but also by the fact that they could orally interact with them indicating that they could actually see outside the picture. Eventually they came up to the portrait of a fat lady.

"Password?" She inquired, to which the prefect replied.

"Glutus Maximus!" And a doorway opened up to the common room; Sakura's group, along with the 1st years, were told where everything was.

Sakura had some trouble sleeping that night, her mind kept returning to that fact that there were ghosts in the school.

"Sakura, kurikaeshimasu 'Kami watashi o itamimasen!'" _Sakura, repeat 'Ghosts can't hurt me!'_ Kero advised her, Sakura took a while to get the hang of it, but she continued to do so as she dropped off.


	5. First Day at Hogwarts

"Sakura! Sakura!" Sakura slowly opened her eyes to see a human figure standing above her, her mind told her this couldn't be Kero; her vision steadily came into focus and saw Hermione standing over her.

"You've got to get up quickly," Hermione told her, "Or you'll be late for your first lesson!" Sakura now leapt out of her bed and dashed off to get ready.

Hermione's desperate cries managed to get everyone, including Sakura and her group, to the first lesson just in time.

Lesson One: Enchantments

"Welcome students of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff!" Prof. Flitwick greeted as he entered the classroom.

"Good morning, Professor Flitwick!" They all replied, not one of them getting the reply wrong.

"Now," He said as the lesson began, "Today we'll be performing the art of Teleportation; or the ability to make something go from one place to another instantly. You all have one pin cushion each to practice on." He next waved his wand and spoke an incantation that made a sticky label (with back to peel off) appear in front of each of the students. "Please write your names on the labels and stick them onto your pin cushions." They all did so, Sakura and Tomoyo had trouble getting to grips with a quill pen.

"Now then," He added after the labels were applied, "The aim is to teleport the pin cushions onto my desk here." He pointed with his finger. "To do so remember the wrist movement as I taught for Levitation and use the incantation 'Transradi…' followed by the destination. Do not just say 'Transradi' otherwise it'll just whirl and not go anywhere! Off you go, then." And they all commenced to accomplish the procedure.

"Follow my lead." Hermione whispered to Sakura and Shaoran, who were sitting next to her and she performed the spell as instructed. "Transradi Flitwick's Desk!" But nothing happened. Sakura and Shaoran went ahead and their pin cushions went straight to the required destination.

"Well done!" Prof. Flitwick praised them at finding their pin cushions right where they should be; Harry and Hermione now concentrated very hard and cast the spell successfully. Eriol and Tomoyo were the next ones to successfully teleport their pin cushions before everyone else got into the swing of it.

"Oh," Ron commented as he finally got it to teleport, "It's 'Trans-raidi', not 'Trans-rædi'!"

Lesson Two: Transfiguration

"Good morning, class!" Prof. McGonagall greeted them sternly as she entered her classroom. "I'm glad to see you all here on time! Now, today you'll be taught how to transform animals into swords; observe." She turned to her raven and tapped it with her wand saying. "Ferrous Vitus!" And the raven became a cutlass. "Any questions before we proceed?" Sakura immediately put her hand up. "Yes, Miss Kinomoto?"

"Sensei," Sakura habitually inquired, "Is it not so that the animal is harmed when transformed into that which it's not, especially an inanimate object?" McGonagall paused for a moment, taken aback by what she asked, and then replied.

"I can assure you, Miss Kinomoto, the animal will suffer no ill effects no matter what it is turned into." Sakura relaxed in this knowledge, she trusted McGonagall but found her disposition to be unnerving. "Now," McGonagall said as she carried on with the lesson, "Weasley, you try!" Ron nervously cleared his throat and tapped his owl and repeated the incantation, the result was bluish-silver dagger.

Hermione now had a go and turned her cat into a scimitar.

Shaoran came next; interestingly to himself, Sakura and Tomoyo, his owl turned into a virtually exact replica of his own sword.

Noting Sakura's expression, McGonagall now had her try it, the result was a study foil in place of her owl.

By the end of the lesson each student had a unique sword in place of their familiars; McGonagall now reversed each of the spells cast for the students to leave on time. Just after they all left Dumbledore came in through the side door.

"I'm not so sure about these new students, Albus." McGonagall told him. "That Kinomoto girl seems to be rather reclusive."

"Do not judge her so firmly on the first day, Minerva." Dumbledore answered. "She just has strong feelings for the well being of others; she'll be alright when the time comes."

"I hope you're right!" McGonagall commented as a close to their brief conversation.

Lunch

The Gryffindor students all sat down at their table in the great hall, most were both excited and worried about the year ahead, but Sakura was particularly jovial at this time.

"Lessons so useful are!" She commented too quickly to get her grammar right; Harry looked at her sceptically from across the table.

"Wait for this afternoon," He told her, "We've got a Potions lesson after lunch and Prof. Snape is not the friendliest of teachers."

"Worse still," Ron added, "Is that we've got Slytherin joining us for that lesson! Gryffindor is at it's most vulnerable in Potions lesson with Slytherin; we often lose points."

"It's true," Eriol commented from down the table, "We had better watch our steps if we're to make accomplishments in this next lesson." Sakura nodded, notifying to behave in a more respectful and passive way during any Potions class. Just then their lunch flashed into existence on their table.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Hermione told them. "Stress can be bad for digestion." Ron immediately got stuck in, but all those in their immediate vicinity were surprised by what Sakura and Tomoyo did before tucking in.

"Itōtakemasu!" _Let's eat!_ They cried out; the lunch was rather bland, particularly to Hermione's taste, but Sakura and Tomoyo were well satisfied by it as the normally rich food they encountered often made them drink a lot afterwards.

Afternoon Lesson: Potions

Everyone in Gryffindor and Slytherin had already settled down for a couple of minutes before Snape callously strutted into the classroom as usual.

"Alright now!" He growled. "In lesson we'll be brewing a point-of-view potion. It's quite complex and if not made properly can produce the wrong results, so I want you all to pay close attention to my instructions!"

After about 15 minutes of lecturing the students had the chance to make it themselves with Snape putting them into pairs of his choice.

HarryRon, ShaoranHermione, EriolDraco, SakuraTomoyo

"Watch what you're doing!" Snape told them. "If mixed the wrong way the potion can be explosive!" Sakura groaned stressfully in a quiet voice so as not to disturb the class.

Everyone now got on with the brewing of the potion.

"How hot should the Bunsen burner be again, Harry?" Ron asked quietly as he set up the tripod and the Bunsen burner.

"Keep it on a yellow flame." Harry replied at the same volume as he diced the flame-ginger root ready for mixing into the horseradish-like mixture in the beaker.

"Having flame-ginger in the mixture," Ron commented in a whisper, "No wonder Snape is worried about it blowing up!"

Meanwhile, Draco was doing his best to influence Eriol while pretending to be busy, stirring the pre-heated mixture; Eriol just ignored him and carried on with what was required.

"You're wasting your time," Draco whispered to him, "Being in Gryffindor and hanging round with those yellow mudbloods! Hang out with me and my gang when you've got some free time at the weekends!" Eriol set the Bunsen burner on at the right level and quietly and calmly replied.

"You should not judge people by their heritage; they are wise and friendly." Draco just shifted his shoulders in a disapproving way and said.

"That Li guy might be good wizard stock, but them two Japs over there are not worth the bother of this proud school of magic!" As Eriol placed the mixture on the gauze over the Bunsen burner he turned to Draco with his regular smile fading from his face and commented.

"Miss Kinomoto is more powerful than you can perceive!" He went back to his potion-making.

As the end of the lesson began to approach Prof. Snape made a last minute check on everyone's batch of potion, he was very thorough as he went round the room, he first happened on Harry & Ron.

"It seems to be bubbling correctly," He commented to them, "I'm expecting adequate results from you two." As he went on Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

Draco & Eriol was next; he looked hard at Eriol and then turned to the potion.

"I only want Mr. Hiiragizawa to answer the next question." He told them. "Did Mr. Malfoy do anything worthwhile?" Eriol looked at Draco for a minute, turned back to Prof. Snape and answered.

"He kept stirring the mixture." Draco muttered.

"Liar!" But Snape paid no attention and studied the potion.

"For a new student, Mr. Hiiragizawa, you do rather well. I think this is worth 7 points to Gryffindor." The last sentence was not of contemplating the action, but more of definitive action. All the regular students gasped in amazement, the Gryffindors in the manner of seeing a miracle, the Slytherins in the manner of hearing that a famous building had been blown up without reason. What made it more incredible was that he had already given Slytherin five points for a well-made potion.

After a few more observations he came round to Shaoran and Hermione, by now everyone was finishing their potions.

"I consider this potion to be very well made." Snape told them. "Tell me, Mr. Li, what is the most important thing to remember when heating flame-ginger root?" Hermione stuck her hand up as usual while Shaoran deliberated this in his brain before finally answering.

"If the temperature becomes hotter than 125°C the flame-ginger will spark and cause the whole root to explode like a firework!" Snape nodded at this reply and said.

"You are a keen researcher of magic, and you seem to be more polite than Miss Granger here." Hermione was hurt by this, her mind was now working out a way to get Snape to drink this point-of-view potion and see the situation while standing in her shoes.

Sakura and Tomoyo came last, Snape made careful observation of their potion.

"It looks like Gryffindor is finally getting it's act together." He commented. "Well done, both of you." That last comment was surprising to all of them as it seemed to contain an actual sense of being pleased. "Okay." He announced as he returned to the front of the class. "Everyone place a sample of your potion in a test tube with your names on the label, hand them in here," He indicated a large test tube rack on his desk, "And then leave." Everyone did so, but as Sakura handed in hers and Tomoyo's sample of POV potion Snape said to her.

"Watch Mr. Malfoy, he is not the most polite of students." His eyes were no longer those dark slits he always glowered at people with, they actually carried an expression of concern.

"Thank you, Snape-sensei!" Sakura answered confidently, bowing to him and then leaving the room.

"I bet you enjoyed that!" Draco growled at Shaoran and Eriol. "Making fun of me in front of Professor Snape!"

"Your attitude meant it would come eventually," Eriol replied, "And unless you improve it you'll be in Dire Straits with him."

"What wrong is?" Sakura asked them with concern as she left the classroom.

"Cor, blimey!" Draco commented. "Little Miss Softhead's here! First she impresses Professor Snape and now she's poking her nose in!" Sakura couldn't quite get the grasp of all the slang, but she could tell that he was insulting her.

"Do not upset Sakura," Shaoran warned him. "I told you before! You have no idea of what she can do." Draco shrugged, commented about their 'pansy' ways, and waltzed off with Crab and Goyle to the Slytherin common room.

"His problem, what is?" Sakura asked both with concern and confusion.

"Oh, he's always been pompous and disrespectful to other students outside of Slytherin!" Ron answered for her as Harry, Hermione and himself came up behind them. "Come on, we've still got some time before dinner. We can hang out in the common room." Sakura, Shaoran and Tomoyo we bewildered by the words 'hang out', but Eriol simply said.

"It will help us make friends." And they all set off for the Gryffindor tower.

As they entered the Gryffindor common room Sakura suddenly said.

"Oh, one moment! Check my luggage I must!" And she dashed off for the girls' dormitories leaving a group of bewildered Gryffindors.

"She can be very conscientious." Eriol commented as a reasonable excuse.

Once she was sure no one else was around in the dorm, Sakura called out to Kero, who immediately popped out of his hiding place.

"Hai, Sakura-chan?" _Yes, Sakura?_ He inquired; she pulled a small bag from her pocket and said.

"No hard feelings." Kero looked at the bag, then back at her, smiled and took the bag from her.

"Wai! Wai!" _Wahoo! Wahoo! _He cried out as he opened the bag to find several cookies (in England they are biscuits that are melted into shape, rather than just any kind of biscuit) in it.

"Please, Kero-chan." Sakura whispered to him and pointed down.

"Ah, hai!" _Oh, yes!_ Kero quietly acknowledged and began to tuck in.


	6. Second Day at Hogwarts

'What the…?' Sakura's mind echoed as she perceived the Hogwarts school in the middle of the night, from on top of a hill she espied creepy-looking silhouettes creeping towards the castle. 'Danger?' She thought. 'I must do something!' Using Jump she leapt off the hill and over the lake.

"SAKURA!" Shouted a familiar voice, Sakura slowly opened her eyes and saw Hermione looking at her with concern and desperation. "If you don't hurry we'll be late for Herbology!" Sakura suddenly sat up in bed, jumped out and dashed to where her clothes and robes were kept. Suddenly a thought struck her.

"What about breakfast?" She asked Hermione. "Miss it did I?"

"No." Hermione answered. "But if we hurry we'll still get some and be on time for Herbology!" Sakura acknowledged this and, with her being dressed by this time, dashed off through the door with Hermione chasing after her in bewilderment due to Sakura's sudden burst of speed.

Sakura crashed through the doors of the Great Hall (not literally, of course) and shot down to one of the remaining spaces at the Gryffindor table.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "Your own record you broke!" Ron looked at her with surprise and alarm.

"Her own record?!?" He exclaimed. "You mean she's slept in before!?!"

"Gomen·nasai!" _I'm sorry! _Sakura apologised. "But regularly sleep in I used to." Just then they spotted Hermione strolling down the side of the Gryffindor table towards them, huffing and panting.

"Sakura," She wheezed as she reached them, "You run so fast!"

"Never." Shaoran commented sarcastically, Tomoyo took a while to catch on to the sarcasm, but added.

"Hai, very athletic she is." But as she looked upon Sakura getting her breath back before tucking in a quick as she could, Tomoyo couldn't stop herself. "And so kawaii!" Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at her, bewildered while Eriol just shrugged his shoulders, Shaoran grunted in confirmation of Tomoyo's behaviour and Sakura sweat-dropped.

About a minute later Ginny, who was sat not too far from them, started coughing like she had a sore throat.

"Are you alright, Ginny?" Harry asked her after she stopped coughing; she turned to him, smiled and answered.

"No, I've just been trying out my camp bed, but I have to inflate it and it takes puff after puff after puff." Tomoyo had been observing this conversation and turned to Ginny herself.

"Can I help anyone?" She asked, Ginny looked at her and answered.

"No, that's all right. I'll just use the normal bed from now on."

It was not long before it was time to go to 1st lesson, namely Herbology, Sakura and Shaoran took a glance at each other and set off holding hands. Hermione eyed them, their closeness and their unorthodox knowledge of magic made her suspicious of them.

"Wonderful shoujo romance that is!" Tomoyo exclaimed as they watched Sakura and Shaoran leave the hall hand-in-hand.

"Are you sure it's romance?" A passing Gryffindor commented. "I haven't seen them kiss or cuddle or anything." Tomoyo gasped in shock and dread.

"NANI?!?" _WHAT?!? _She exclaimed. "Kiss in public?!? Sakura would never do anything so low!" Ron looked at her in surprise as they left the hall.

"What's wrong with the odd kiss?" He asked her.

"Oh," Tomoyo answered calmly, "Nothing wrong with a kiss as long as it's private." Harry and Ron were very confused by this, but Eriol managed to put them in the light.

"In Japan, it is considered unseemly to kiss in public. But a private life is a private life over there, no romance taboos you see." He told them, they looked at him in shock and then seemed to accept it.

"Well," Hermione commented, "At least there's no 'relationship' between student and teacher." Eriol looked at her with his famous smile; she spotted this and a revelation hit her like a thunderbolt. "Oh no," She exclaimed, "Don't tell me!"

"Student-teacher romances are not unheard of in Japan." Eriol answered the unasked question. "Love knows no boundaries; we English can be stranger than the Japanese sometimes."

Lesson One: Herbology

"Good morning, class!" Professor Sprout greeted her students as she entered the greenhouse.

"Good morning, Prof. Sprout!" They all answered, although Shaoran, Sakura and Tomoyo were a couple of seconds behind everyone else.

"Now," Prof. Sprout announced, "Today we'll be learning how to handle battle-bamboo! Who can tell me the properties of battle-bamboo?" Both Hermione and Shaoran put their hands up; interested in an exchange student's knowledge of the matter, Prof. Sprout pointed to Shaoran and said.

"Yes, Mr. Li!"

"Battle-bamboo," Shaoran answered, "Or 'Bambusolegio' is a magical grass that is as hard as iron. The problem is that while the plant still has it's roots it will scold the skin upon being touched."

"Quite right," Prof. Sprout confirmed, "10 points to Gryffindor!" Then she carried on with the lesson. "Ordinary gloves can protect you from burning your hands, but they only last for 12 minutes. These gloves are made from dragon scales and can stand up to contact with the battle-bamboo for any amount of time. Please put them on!" Everyone did so; Sakura was hesitant at first, partly due to her empathy and partly due to her experience with dragons, but she spotted a nod from Eriol and another from Shaoran and put them on.

"You take the stalk firmly, like so," Sprout instructed, "And you pull firmly." She then placed the uprooted bamboo on a long chopping board. "Now we come to the disarming of the bamboo." She picked up something that looked like a meat cleaver. "To successfully disarm the battle-bamboo you must chop it right at were the white ring is, which separates the root from the stalk, after this leave it for 5 minutes to lose it's scalding effect and then place it in the barrel of vegetable preservative." She chopped the plant right on the spot and indicated to the class to try it themselves; it's worth noting at this point that the preservative was merely malt vinegar.

Many students did well; including Shaoran and Eriol, but Ron chopped just below the white ring and had to dodge the root's spontaneous combustion. When Neville tried he chopped at both wrong ends causing spontaneous combustion for the root, which caused the stalk to turn to ash.

Sakura was weary of the chopping, worried she'd miss the mark.

"Daijoubu, Sakura-chan!" _You'll be alright, Sakura!_ Tomoyo told her upon spotting Sakura's distress while she was waiting for her stalk to become inert. With these words of reassurance Sakura raised the cleaver over her head and brought it down firmly, right through the white ring.

Meanwhile, in Dumbledore's office…

"I don't know what it is with Miss Kinomoto," Snape told Dumbledore, "But she seems to be rather pretentious, and yet I can't find any way to accuse her for it."

"She is more concerned for the well-being of others than her own gain, Severus!" Dumbledore told him. "Mr. Li is the most pompous out of the Oriental quartet, but he is more considerate now than he was."

"Sometimes I think you're too trusting, headmaster." Snape told him with a cold gaze rivalling that of Yue and he departed the room.

"You don't know the half of it, Severus." Dumbledore commented after Snape had left the room.

Lesson Two: Defence Against the Dark Arts

"Good morning, everyone." Yukito greeted them cheerfully. "I thought that since today is the first day of the school year, we'll do some revision on the subject of boggarts." That explained to everyone why there was a wardrobe in the classroom that was shaking violently; Yue was confident in Eriol's and Shaoran's ability to deal with the situation, but was concerned for Tomoyo and his master, his presence was what enabled Yukito to deal with the situation.

"I think Malfoy should start the lesson." Yukito announced, this surprised everyone; Draco was worried that he couldn't manage but refused to show it. While Yukito was sure Draco could manage Yue was singling him out as a way of teaching him a lesson.

Draco stood in front of the wardrobe as Yukito called upon Yue to open it without revealing himself; the boggart stepped out in the form of a werewolf. Draco struggled with his fear and just as it seemed he would fail he cried out.

"Rediculus!" And the boggart turned into a sheepdog cuddly toy, the whole class burst into laughter.

"Okay," Yukito commented, "Granger, your turn!" Hermione knew exactly what was coming and was ready for it this time. The boggart slipped into the form of Prof. McGonagall and said.

"Miss Granger, you've failed all e…!" Just before it could complete the sentence Hermione cried out.

"Rediculus!" And now the boggart depicted McGonagall in a clown outfit.

"Okay, Mr. Potter, your turn!" Yukito stated, since Harry didn't get the chance last time he was weary of what would happen. The shape of the dementor appeared and moved towards Harry who immediately cried out.

"Rediculus!" And the boggart slipped into the shape of a white bedsheet; unfortunately it only got titters, rather than belters.

"Let's see what our new students make of it." Yukito stated, Eriol came forward voluntarily; the boggart's shape was quite surprising, it depicted Sakura wielding her star staff and about to pass out with a boulder floating over her head.

"Rediculus!" Eriol cried out, and the boulder turned into a bean bag and Sakura was replaced by Shaoran just as gravity kicked in.

Shaoran stepped up next, detesting the ridicule this had; now the boggart took on the form of Meilin.

"SHAORAN!!!" It shouted. "Totemo ī sh...!" _You're so cr...!_ Shaoran immediately shouted.

"Rediculus!" And he now found himself looking at Meilin in Touya's clothes, the sleeves hanging off the arms.

Tomoyo came next; she already had an idea of what the boggart would become now. Her prediction was rather accurate, the boggart to on the form of Sakura on the verge of peritonitis.

"T-T-Tomoyo-chan." It murmured, Tomoyo was on the verge of failure but she called out.

"Rediculus!" And now the form of Sakura was standing there A1 and holding a balloon, this made Tomoyo let out a sight of relief while nearly everyone else giggled.

"Sakura-chan!" Yukito announced. "Your turn." Sakura nervously stepped up; she knew what form this strange being would take and had to face her worst fear, something she rarely did before.

Most of the students were surprised to find the boggart in a stereotypical ghost form, Sakura nervously raised her wand and stated.

"Rediculus!" And now she no longer saw a scary ghost-form, but the form of her mother's spirit. "Nice illusion that is." Sakura commented, the boggart was bewildered and was finally defeated upon hearing laughter build up from the students.

At the end of the lesson Sakura's group came up to Yukito and Sakura asked him.

"Yukito-san kore dō anata shimasu?" _How do you manage with this?_ Understanding the question as confusion to his role as a magic teacher Yukito explained.

"Yue-san tetsudaimasu." _Yue is helping me._ All except Tomoyo could easily understand this, but she had to think about both Yue's magical abilities and possible experience in order to understand.

Lunch

"How come you've got a phobia of ghosts?" Ron asked Sakura in the Great Hall. "Were you born that way or was it something that happened when you were young?"

"It was in my youth." Sakura nervously replied, any talk of ghosts made her nervous at the least.

"What happened?" Ron asked her, discreetly indicating a request for elaboration.

"I was three years old, my mother had died; I found the concept difficult to handle, so my older brother tried to explain it to me that she'd gone away and wasn't coming back. Once I started school he told me that she had gone to a place called Heaven somewhere up in the sky." She answered.

"And the confusion over your mother's death was what gave you the phobia?!?" Ron asked her, Sakura went on to clearly indicate why she had such a phobia.

"Between my mother's death and when I started school my brother would tell me about ghosts, saying he saw a transparent woman and an old man where I could not see one, his honest stories about seeing ghosts made me realise they were very real and I became so worried by what would happen if I met one. Worse still, when I was in my first school, I had a friend who often talked about ghosts and the supernatural and that only increased the fear within me. When I was ten it improved, whenever I felt my mother's presence I would be comforted instead of terrified."

"I understand." Ron reassured her. "It's a similar story with my arachnophobia." Sakura looked at him with an element of surprise. "Before I started at Hogwarts, first years are 10 years old, my twin brothers cast a spell on my teddy bear turning it into a rather large spider; I was freaked out, but I wasn't hurt. Unfortunately that has left me with a dread fear of spiders; it didn't help in second year when Harry and I faced the most dangerous of spiders."

"Black Widows?" Sakura asked with concern.

"No, I wouldn't recommend facing them for anyone like you!" Ron answered; Sakura looked at him with confusion. "The ones I'm referring to are like something out of a horror movie!"

"Hoeee!" Sakura cried meekly.

"You know," Hermione commented to Tomoyo, "I was rather surprised by the boggart's form when you faced it."

"What were you expecting?" Tomoyo asked her.

"Well, considering what I've known about you since we first met, I was thinking more along the lines of a corpse."

"They are unpleasant, yes," Tomoyo answered, "But there is nothing I fear more than Sakura-chan suffering."

Lesson Three: Divination

"Ah, greetings class." Prof. Trelawney announced as she started the class. "Today I am going to demonstrate to you the art of reading tarot cards." Sakura and Tomoyo jumped slightly at the mention of cards. "The reader must ask the person whose fortune will be told to shuffle the cards with their left and separate them into separate piles and then randomly return the piles into one, always using the left hand. Then the reader will draw five cards from the top of the deck face down starting from their left and then turn each one over one at a time in the same order to tell that person's fortune." She drew a diagram on the blackboard behind her and indicated for the students to give it a try in pairs.

Sakura Harry

Shaoran Ron

Eriol Tomoyo

"I'm sorry that Hermione couldn't join us." Sakura mentioned to Harry quietly.

"It's alright," He answered, "She's not fond of divination and subjects like that, they're too uncertain for her." Sakura shuffled the tarot cards in the exact procedure and Harry commenced to place the five cards for Sakura's fortune.

"The Star," Harry notified as the first card, he looked at the definition book on the desk to see the meaning, "Fresh hope and renewal, healing of old wounds; hope. The renewal of faith and hope, spiritual love; a mental and physical broadening of horizons. Promise and fulfilment, inspiration; vigour and confidence, protection." He looked at Sakura. "You must have a very selfless and optimistic personality." Sakura was impressed, but not surprised. "The Magician; mastery of the material world, creative action, self discipline and a willingness to take risks. An ability to recognise one's own potential, the power to initiate and communication. You're very powerful according to this." Sakura blushed. "The Page of Wands; a trustworthy, reliable young person with an inborn desire to bring happiness, excitement and light to those around. A person who is faithful in service to superiors. I think you understand what this means." He informed her.

"Hai!" _Yes!_ She replied.

"The Two of Swords," Harry continued, "Courage, delicate and precarious balance in adversity. Differences resolved, relief, restoration of peace, truce, a weight off the mind. This indicates you as being a rather steadfast character." Sakura nodded calmly. "And finally, The High Priestess; intuition, wisdom and secret knowledge. Something remains yet to be revealed, but patience must be observed. There is something very powerful about you that has yet to be seen." Sakura understood this all too well, now it was her turn to read his fortune. The results showed a loneliness, a sense of justice, desire for the well-being of others, great power (Sakura wondered how great) and various difficulties to face.

Shaoran and Eriol read Ron and Tomoyo like a book, but Ron and Tomoyo faced some difficulty in reading Shaoran's and Eriol's fortune.

As class was dismissed Prof. Trelawney spiritually noticed something not quite right about Shaoran, Eriol and especially Sakura, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

After dinner Hermione suddenly became aware of something that should have been obvious; Sakura and Shaoran had never been to a magic school before, but they possessed traits that most 5th years students didn't. Shaoran showed knowledge of the wizarding world that rivalled her own, and Sakura seemed to be such a natural at magic that she surpassed Hermione's magical capabilities.

'I'll have to keep an eye on them,' Hermione thought, 'And see if there are any books that can give me a lead to their history.'


	7. Fifth Day at Hogwarts

Three days later… first thing in the morning…

"Cor blimey, Harry," Ron commented as they got dressed in the boys' dormitories, "That Li guy behaves so much like Hermione! Look at him always reading about magic!" Shaoran just gave Ron a stern look before returning to his studies. "But," Ron added in a muttering voice, "His disposition is more like Snape."

"Oh, Ron," Harry replied, "He can't be that bad! Look how well he gets on with Sakura and Tomoyo. Does Snape get on so well with anyone?" Ron thought for a bit and shook his head.

Later on Harry was with the quidditch team in the common room discussing on who should replace a chaser who had graduated last year. One major problem was that none of the Gryffindors they knew had either the skill or the courage to fill the vacancy.

"We need," Commented one of them, "Someone who's a natural at flying and is sure of themselves!"

"That's Ron out, then!" Fred Weasley commented crudely. Just then Sakura and Tomoyo came down from the girls' dormitories talking nostalgically in Japanese.

"Hey!" Harry called out to them as they passed. "Would either of you be interested in joining our quidditch team?"

"What are you doing?" Asked another team member.

"Let's see what they can do, there's nothing to lose." Harry quietly replied.

"Quid-ichi?" Sakura asked, thinking it was a trivia game as in 'Quid' being Latin for 'What' and 'ichi' being the Japanese for 'one'.

"It's a bit like hockey on broomsticks." Harry told them. "If you're interested we can tell you more about it on the playing field." Sakura looked at Tomoyo with uncertainty about this suggestion.

"Daijoubu, Sakura-chan!" _You'll be alright!_ Tomoyo told her, glittering in her eyes.

"Okaayyyy." Sakura answered, she felt that a brief 'OK' would be alright for simple, unimportant topics while a prolonged 'Okay' would invoke more certainty in more significant topics.

"Then we'll meet on the Quidditch Playing Field at 11 o'clock." Harry told her, he waved his wand while stating a simple incantation and a parchment appeared which he handed to her. "This map will help you find your way." There was nothing special about this map, it just showed a 2D plan of Hogwarts and it's grounds.

"Thank you very much." Sakura replied as she took it, bowing slightly.

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo asked her later on in the girl's dorm, "Nashi de hoka no hito kan·gaemasu dō sō shite tobimasu?" _How will you fly without arousing suspicion?_ Sakura looked at her, showed her a knowing smile and replied.

"Fly to Illusion watashi tsukaimasu!" _I will use Fly and Illusion!_ And she whipped her star staff out. "Anatatachi no shit·te watashi no kagi e.." _Lend your powers to my key… _She commanded as she threw Fly and Illusion up into the air and put the top of her staff to them. "…Fly, Illusion!" They emerged from their card forms and headed straight into the staff creating a unique-looking broom similar to the nimbus 2000 but with a more streamlined and organic look. And upon the end of the handle, in Japanese kanji, were written what translates as 'The Flying Illusion'.

"Kashikoi dō." _How appropriate. _Came a familiar voice from the vicinity of Sakura's bed.

"Kero-chan," Tomoyo identified him peeking out of his hiding place, not with surprise but with anticipation, "Nani ka anata wa watashi mochimasu." _I have something for you._ She told him, taking some biscuits out of her pocket, neatly wrapped in a clean cotton handkerchief.

"Wai! Wai!" _Yay! Yay! _Kero exclaimed taking them from her. "Bisuket·to! Arigatō Tomoyo!" _Biscuits! Thank you Tomoyo!_ Just then something unusual happened, another Sakura card came out in front of it's master.

"Dash?" Sakura inquired to it, Dash glimmered a magical glow showing it's intention to 'speak' to it's master.

"Anata no kagi sore wa to is·sho nitai desu." _It wants to join your staff._ Kero told her, recognising the mysterious language used by the cards. Sakura paused for a moment, considering this and finally agreed to Dash's request, merging it with her staff to add more speed to the 'broom'.

Sakura and Tomoyo made it to the playing field just in time for practice.

"Ah," Harry greeted them, "It's nice to see you came!" Then his look of confidence changed to one of concern. "I hope she's flown before." He commented to Tomoyo discreetly, taking her to one side.

"Don't worry about that, Potter-kun!" Tomoyo replied, a smirk starting to appear on her face. "Has she flown before!"

"Is that a Nimbus 2000?" George Weasley asked Sakura, she looked at him with confusion and asked him.

"What is a Nimbus 2000?"

"Obviously not." George commented. "May I see your broom?" Sakura held it out, nodded and answered.

"Hai!" He was surprised by her response, thinking that she had forgotten to greet him and was saying 'Hello'. He took a look at her broom.

"It bears a close resemblance to a Nimbus 2000, but it seems to be more hand-crafted, like the old models. It has a sleek modern design and yet there's no evidence of modern broom-craft in it. What's this on the handle?" George mumbled the first two sentences, but spoke the question out loud.

"Flying Illusion." Sakura answered, he looked at her and then at the broom handle, he could not recognise the markings as they were not of the Latin alphabet nor did they bear any resemblance to the runes used in the wizarding world.

"What language?" He added.

"Japanese, of course." Tomoyo told him as she came up behind Sakura.

"It's kanji." Sakura added.

"Which is it?" Fred asked them, for he was sitting next to his twin.

"Both!" Sakura and Tomoyo both replied at once.

"It might not seem fair," Harry explained to Sakura on the quidditch field, "But when you're up against Slytherin this'll seem easy!"

"Hai!" Sakura replied in understanding.

"Do all new members of the team have the whole team against them in training?" Tomoyo asked Ron, who was here to watch like was.

"Yeah," Ron answered, "It puts them through the ropes."

The Gryffindor team flew up and waited for Sakura to take off as she wielded the quaffle. Sakura observed their movements as they got into starting positions and set off to the centre-forward position.

"PLAY!" Harry announced and a chaser shot straight for Sakura, she whizzed out of the way and headed for the hoops, looking over her shoulder another team member was moving up to her rear right-flank with the chaser who shot at her making a u-turn at the other end of the field, she turned back just in time as she spotted Harry himself coming for her front left-flank, she dove rapidly, rising again and sent the quaffle through a hoop. A repetition of performances such as this was very effective, there were times when she lost the quaffle to others when she moved to aid those in distress, but soon regained it.

"Amazing!" Harry commented to her at the end of training. "No team member has ever made such high scores and such skilled manoeuvres on their first training day! Well done!"

"Arigatou." _Thanks._ Sakura replied, bowing to him, Harry could only just figure out what Sakura was saying and gave her his hand. Sakura hesitated before shaking it as she had to remember what you do to someone in England who holds out their hand to you.

In the afternoon Gryffindor had a 'Care of Magical Creatures' class taught to them by Hagrid, Tomoyo was particularly fascinated by the sort of creatures studied in all previous lessons that she and her friends had to revise.

"Gather round, students." Hagrid told them as the lesson started. "Today we are going to study caring for diricawls, commonly known to muggles as 'dodos'." Some of the Gryffindors started to mutter about the common knowledge of dodos being extinct. "Follow me, please." Hagrid said to them, walking into the forest where caring for hippogriffs was taught, the Gryffindors followed him.

"This is a controlled area," Hagrid told them as he came to small clearing, within which was a diricawl, "So the diricawl can only disappear and reappear within a 100yd radius of the centre of this clearing." He turned round completely to face the students. "Only a magical net can subdue this bird," He told them, "A direct pointing with the wand and use of the incantation 'Agave cepi' projects this netting towards the target, but be careful as you can never be sure when and where it's gonna teleport." He let them through to try and capture the diricawl.

Ron immediately stuck his wand out in front of him and declared.

"Agave capi!" A light red net flung forth from his wand towards the diricawl, the diricawl flapped it's wings twice and vanished and the net landed where it once was and vanished itself as it's purpose was unfulfilled. Many more attempts were made as most Gryffindors dashed around the 32,500yd² area; even Harry chased the diricawl in the fashion of a regular trapper. Only Sakura, Eriol, Shaoran, Tomoyo and Hermione did not chase around.

Hermione looked out the corner of her eye as the diricawl appeared rather close to her; she flicked her wand out in that direction and spoke the incantation, but even then it got away.

"Interesting." Eriol commented.

"It evades capture…" Tomoyo noted.

"…like…" Sakura added as they recognised the pattern of the diricawl's vanishing.

"…Move kado." _…the Move card._ Shaoran finished quietly. Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated only on the presence of the diricawl, Shaoran did the same, but Sakura's and Eriol's presence made it hard for him to locate it.

The diricawl began to rematerialise near an ash tree, immediately Sakura thrust her wand towards it while stating the incantation. The net flung itself over the freshly materialised diricawl.

"Well done, Miss Kinomoto." Hagrid congratulated her as he approached the diricawl. "When taking it into care you must comfort it before removing the net or it'll just vanish out of your hands." Hermione and Ron gaped at Sakura's swift success as Hagrid picked up the diricawl.

That evening Tomoyo sat in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, out of the way of the other students; after about 15 minutes Eriol approached her.

"Daijoudi-san tsurai nan desu ka?" _What's wrong, Miss Daijoudi?_ He asked her, sitting down next to her.

"Subarashii mono wa mina Sakura-chan sushita." _All the great things Sakura has done._ She answered as she looked up at him. "Watashi wa sorera ni bideo ni rokuga iemasen! Watashi no kikai kiesarashita." _I couldn't video-tape them! My opportunities slipped away. _Tomoyo buried her head in her lap; Eriol placed his hand on her shoulder gently.

"Shinpai shinaide," _Don't worry, _He advised her, "Watashi wa tsuzuru shitte iru." _I know a spell. _This made Tomoyo look up at him with a glimmer of hope. "Keiyu de mahou kimi no bideo-kamera ugoku shite." _Your video camera will work through magic._ Tomoyo's eyes started to flare with hope and excitement. "Watashi kite shite." _Come with me. _He asked her, giving her his hand in the gesture of helping her to her feet; Tomoyo was happy to do so, she would not have to worry about filming Sakura's great achievements in the magical arts.


	8. Quidditch and Queries

Sakura wearily studied the dark figures creeping towards Hogwarts, their black hoods hiding their faces, which was probably just as well.

"Dare anatatachi desu?" _Who are you?_ She asked, with no response from them whatsoever she used Jump to leap from the hillside to confront them.

---

"Isoide, Sakura-chan!" _Hurry up, Sakura!_ Tomoyo pleaded with her, she opened her eyes.

"Did I sleep in again?" She asked, Tomoyo shook her head.

"But you will do if you don't get up soon." Sakura got up.

---

In the great hall Hermione had got Harry and Ron alone with her.

"There's something I think you ought to know." She told them, they were surprised by this. "There's something not quite right about Sakura and Shaoran." They blinked and Harry asked.

"How so?"

"Well," She answered, "They've never attended magic school before, but Shaoran knows an awful lot about all this magic stuff and Sakura shows such magical power that seems to be beyond normal witchcraft and wizardry."

"You're just jealous." Ron commented.

"I am not!" Hermione nearly shouted.

"You can't think badly of people just because they're different." Harry commented.

"All the same," She replied, "I'm going to have a look 'round the library to see if there are any leads to them." They went to join the rest of Gryffindor.

---

That morning Gryffindor and Slytherin came out to watch the first Quidditch match of the school year.

"Be wary," Harry told Sakura, "Slytherin will stop at nothing to try and win; they go against the rules very often." Sakura was going to ask why they got away with it, but felt it would be better not to. They got up and went to the gateway, waiting for the moment when they'd take up positions. After a minute of waiting, which felt like a quarter of an hour, the gate finally opened and the Gryffindor team flew up to their positions while Slytherin did the same.

During the game Gryffindor gained 20 points in the first fifteen minutes, but then Slytherin got up to their dirty tricks again, first of a flanking manoeuvre reminiscent of the Roman chariot races caused a Gryffindor chaser to make a forced landing. Slytherin began to gain points in excess of 30, but then the Gryffindor keeper managed to successfully push back the quaffle, provoking a Slytherin beater to whack a bludger straight at him. He dodged it, but knocked his broom against a hoop-support, causing him to crash land.

Sakura witnessed these appalling events and then got into her most active mindset, like when she had to capture the Jump card. She whizzed through the air straight towards a Slytherin chaser and, in the blink of an eye, grabbed the quaffle from him, making straight for the Slytherin hoops. The Slytherin keeper made ready to defend the centre hoop, seeing Sakura coming straight towards it, he was surprised to see her continue rather than alter course; he theorised that she had poor control over her broom. But just as Sakura prepared to throw the quaffle she made a sharp turn and threw the quaffle straight through one of the lower hoops.

Eventually both houses were tied 60-60, even though all Slytherins were still airborne and two Gryffindors had gone to ground. Harry and Draco were at a higher altitude than the rest, having been in pursuit of the golden snitch, only to have lost sight of it when it passed through a low-lying wisp of cloud. While they floated there waiting for the snitch to show itself again they were observing how the game itself was getting on.

"And another 10 points to Gryffindor!" The commentator declared as Sakura tossed the quaffle through a Slytherin hoop again.

"Go get them SakURa!" Ron cried out, punching the air with his fist repeatedly.

"Please Weasley-san," Tomoyo commented; taking a break from video-taping the game, "It's pronounced 'Sa-ku-ra', not 'Sa-kur-ra'!" He just frowned and sulked. Then a Slytherin beater attempted to knock Sakura out of the sky, but she quickly caught on to the sense of danger and quickly dodged the bludger, straight onto an interception course with a Slytherin chaser.

Harry and Draco were now chasing the snitch again, Harry was in the lead for a time until Draco overtook him, but Harry had planned ahead and dived while Draco continued chasing the snitch at a high altitude. After ten minutes the snitch found itself heading straight for Harry while trying to keep away from Draco, Harry grabbed at it but collided with Draco and they both had to make a forced landing.

"Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the snitch!" The commentator declared, and then Madam Hooch blew the whistle announcing the end of the game.

---

"Hoe," Sakura groaned as she changed out of her quidditch uniform, "That was a tough game."

"Always is when we're against Slytherin." Harry told her. "But I was impressed by your game play." This caught her attention. "I could hardly believe your aerial manoeuvres! I've seen the quidditch cup finals and no one has managed to make a sharp turn in a hoop-approach." Sakura blushed with embarrassment.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" _Thank you very much!_ She said, although those around her had no idea what she actually said they did understand the emotional tone. Just then Prof. McGonagall entered the tent.

"Miss Kinomoto." She addressed.

"H… Yes?" Sakura responded.

"Prof. Dumbledore wants a word with you in his study." Sakura did not think anything improper could occur, so she showed no shame in complying with the request. Outside the tent she was surprised to see Tomoyo, Shaoran and Eriol waiting to go with her.

---

They approached a phoenix statue at the end of a hallway; Sakura and Tomoyo were astonished by this majestic sculpture.

"You'll find Dumbledore's study at the top of the staircase." McGonagall told them, only Eriol showed no bewilderment. "Liquorice Allsort!" She announced and the statue began to spiral up revealing a spiral staircase. Eriol stepped onto one of the steps and Tomoyo and Sakura followed suite while Shaoran hesitated for a while, which caused him to be a bit behind.

At the top of the staircase's assent Eriol made sure that the other three were with him before he knocked on the door.

"Please, enter." Came Dumbledore's calm voice from the other side, Eriol opened the door and they all espied Dumbledore behind his desk at the other end of the room. Around them portraits shuffled and hourglasses sifted as they advanced slowly towards Dumbledore. "I'm glad you all could come." He said. "I would've called sooner but I wanted you to settle in beforehand; although, one of you settled in almost immediately." Sakura stared at him, confused as to what he was saying but carrying a suspicion.

"What did you wish to speak to us about?" Tomoyo asked.

"I think my great-great grandfather's great-uncle knows." He replied, casting a knowing glance at Eriol.

"You do bear a close resemblance to your great-great-great-grandfather." Eriol replied, Dumbledore nodded.

"You did spend some quality time with your cousin, didn't you… Clow Reed." The last two words struck the other three like a thunderbolt. "There's a darkness approaching, Miss Kinomoto," He informed her, "But I'm sure you'll be alright!" Those words struck a gong in her head.

"I take it that is all you wanted to see us for." Shaoran commented.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Li. But," He paused, "Is there something any of you wish to tell me?" Sakura and Shaoran both answered at the same time.

"No sensei, nothing sensei!" Tomoyo shook her head, too.

"Not at all, sensei." She told him.

"Nothing you haven't already guessed, Mr. Dumbledore." Eriol commented.

"Alright then," He replied, "Off you go!" And they all slowly made their way out of his study, for several different reasons.


	9. Oriental DADA

Hermione continually whizzed through the library, section to section, bookshelf to bookshelf in her search for information that could provide some clues to the transfer students and their apparent expertise in the world of magic. At one point she was flicking through the wizard version of Berks when Eriol passed by.

"Do you need any help, Miss Granger?" He asked politely, she jumped and snapped the book shut.

"Err, no thanks, Eriol," She replied, "I'm just doing some research." Eriol nodded as though he swallowed her excuse and continued on his way.

'She's very sharp-minded,' He thought, 'But there's little round here that'll deliver a firm link between us and my past self.' As he wandered away Hermione checked back to the page she was looking at before going to change it for another.

---

Sakura was heading back to the Gryffindor common room, there was still some time before her next class and she wanted to attend to a few things beforehand. As she entered the common room the house ghost appeared, causing Sakura to become petrified with a conflict between her primordial fear and her determination not to upset friendly spirits while not letting malevolent spirits gain satisfaction.

"Good afternoon," The ghost greeted, "You must be one of those new transfer students." Sakura only just managed to nod, but her face was turning blue with fright. "My name is Elizabeth Baker, I've only just become the Gryffindor ghost this year after the previous resident ghost finished what he had to do. What would your name be?"

"S…s…s…s…" Sakura stammered, "Sakura. Kinomoto Sakura."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Sakura." Elizabeth commented and extended her ghostly hand before withdrawing it again. "Oops, I forgot! I'm intangible." Her disposition put Sakura at her ease.

"Err," Sakura informed her, "My family name is Kinomoto." Upon hearing this Elizabeth giggled lightly.

---

"Sugoi!" _Amazing!_ Tomoyo exclaimed upon hearing of Sakura's experience. "You managed to overcome your fear at just the right moment." They both walked off towards the DADA classroom for their next lesson.

Along the way they bumped into Syaoran, who was reading a letter as walked.

"Kon·nichi wa!" _Hello! _Sakura greeted him, he turned round with a slight start; he greeted them in return after a few seconds to find his bearings. In their native tongue he explained to them that the letter was from Meilin and that she was wishing them all the best; Sakura always felt good after a letter from an old friend and spoke of her feelings before all three of them continued to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

---

The good news for the Gryffindors was that Slytherin wasn't with them for this class; the bad news was that they didn't know what they were going to learn about.

"Good afternoon, class." Yukito started off. "This lesson will be a little… unusual… for the subject." Some the Gryffindors did an impression of a team on University Challenge before he continued. "Today, we're going to learn about…" He paused as he wrote down the word on the blackboard, "Auras." Half of the students looked confused. "Are there any questions so far?" Only two students put their hands up. "Yes, Miss Granger." He indicated.

"Professor," She started, "I can't see what auras have to do with Defence Against the Dark Arts. I always thought they were a Divination topic." Yukito smiled, nodded his head patiently and said.

"Usually they would come under Divination, but they can be used in Defence Against the Dark Arts as it helps you determine whether or not someone's gone bad." The other student who had put its hand up lowered it as it was the same thing it was going to ask. "Now," Yukito continued, "I would like each of you to close your eyes and feel for the other students and see if you can identify who they are and want their personalities are like." The students commenced to do so; Sakura, Eriol and Syaoran were naturals at this for they could identify the person and the personality as easily as seeing it with their own eyes. The other students were having some trouble; Hermione was getting her mindset difficult to control as she kept slipping back into the set magical knowledge that she was used to, hence why she was no longer in the divination class. However Many students managed to get the hang of it and read each aura in the room with limited success, except one that made those of the transfer students undetectable. Several students, especially Neville Longbottom, fainted upon registering this aura.

"Oh, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo whispered, "Your aura is like the bright light of heaven." She was all for practicing her English while she was here.

---

"Oh dear," Yukito commented upon seeing that some of the students had passed out, "Could someone take them down to the hospital?" Harry's and Sakura's groups immediately volunteered, however Yukito asked Sakura to avoid doing so. Initially she was bewildered by this but it didn't take long for her to realise why.

"Hoe!" She exclaimed, it had been _her_ aura that had overwhelmed the students, which explained why Tomoyo could sense Eriol, Syaoran and her but no one else. She would have to practice some control over her aura-reading as it caused hers to flare brightly.


	10. The Truth Creeps Closer

Dark figures wandered towards Hogwarts, their auras were burning with anger, hatred and many other terrible feelings. Sakura watched their progress as she considered what she had to do; finally, with a flick of her Star Staff, she leapt off the outcrop on which she was standing and shot across the lake. For an instant she could see three figures standing near Hogwarts, almost as though they were confronting the intruders.

Sakura suddenly sat up in bed; she was grateful that it was all a dream but was also concerned as it was very vivid and she knew these sorts of dreams all too well.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Hermione asked her, having noticed her sudden start from sleep.

"Yes." Sakura replied once she found her bearings. "Yes, I'm alright. It was just a bad dream." She made the excuse as a slight warping of the truth but Hermione was suspicious as Sakura's face carried an expression that suggested it was something more.

---

Later that day, when there was some free time, Sakura talked about her dream with the others. Eriol considered it to be a serious warning; those dark figures had to be a source of trouble for the school. Kero insisted that they stay on their guard, although Sakura and Tomoyo doubted he could stay on his guard for long without falling asleep.

Meanwhile Hermione continued looking through the library in the hope of finding some important information. She was disturbed by the fact that Sakura's aura could knock-out some of the students and couldn't forget that incident on the train with Malfoy. As she continuously ferreted a bizarre looking tome caught her eye. Removing it from its place on the shelf she read the title aloud.

"A Revision of Asian Magic, by Albus Dumbledore." She was surprised to find a tome written by Dumbledore himself and had a flick through. The contents page included chapters about sorcery and celestial power; Hermione felt sure she had to learn more and looked to see if she could borrow it from the library.

---

In the afternoon Gryffindor had a lesson with Hagrid in Care for Magical Creatures.

"Alright everyone," Hagrid announced as the Gryffindors gathered around, "Professor Dumbledore has allowed me to give you all a special lesson but be warned, this is a very dangerous beast. You do not want to trifle with it without your wands at the ready." Taking the hint they all took their wands out. "Okay, now follow me to a highly enchanted clearing in the forest." They all complied; Sakura was feeling nervous of the fact that they'd be up against what she assumed to be a genuine monster.

"Okay," Hagrid commented as he stopped and turned, "Before we continue I must warn you to keep quiet and I'll be conducting this lesson in a low tone of voice. The fearsome beast can catch on to noise, so be careful and quiet." As they carried on Harry started to get a hunch of what they would be facing and Sakura almost entered a panic attack when she felt the hazardous aura up ahead, especially when Syaoran whispered to her where he felt this sort of aura before.

"Right." Hagrid muttered as he put his arm out to stop the students from passing him. "Now we must not go any closer until we know what we're dealing with." He whispered to the students.

"Hagrid," Harry asked, "What are we dealing with?" Hagrid's face turned into one of foreboding; his feelings of dread gave Sakura the willies, strengthened by the threatening presence beyond.

"A dragon." Eriol answered for him, everyone looked at him in disbelief, well everyone who wasn't from Asia. "It's a magically-induced Asian dragon." Hagrid nodded.

"A very rare breed," He said, "They're difficult to deal with in that killing them is forbidden except under very exceptional circumstances." He cautiously led them into the danger zone.

Eventually they could see a pink scaly form through the trees; it took all of Sakura's strength to stop herself from screaming in terror.

"It's a dangerous job this." Hagrid commented. "I shall have to ask for volunteers." Harry, Eriol and Syaoran stepped up while Tomoyo, Hermione and Sakura hesitated to come forward but were in front of the majority of students and Neville took a few steps back. "Um, I'm sure about this, Harry. You're too valuable to lose in this ordeal." Harry stood his ground. "Mr. Li, Mr. Herwagisawa, do either of you have full confidence in dealing with this menace?"

"I have complete confidence in my endeavours." Eriol answered, not batting an eyelid at Hagrid's mispronunciation of his name. "I shall, however, require the assistance of one of my peers." He looked between Sakura and Syaoran.

"I'm not going in if _he's_ going in." Syaoran commented, giving Eriol a hard glare. Sakura swallowed and stepped forward with her wand at the ready.

"Okay." She said. "I'll try it." She began having flashbacks to her first encounter with a dragon and considered where she went wrong. Immediately Syaoran was by her side.

"I'll back her up." He declared as loudly as he dared.

"Okay, Miss Kinomoto, Mr. Himagizawa," Hagrid commented, still failing to grasp Eriol's surname, "Good luck; we'll be ready in case anything goes wrong." He turned to the others and made a 'hush' sign. Sakura and Eriol slowly advanced.

"Ano, Eriol-kun," _Um, Eriol,_ Sakura asked, "How do we deal with a dragon without attacking it?" Eriol once again gave her an encouraging smile and answered.

"It's simple. Just follow the plan." He began to lay out how to achieve this.

---

The sight was heart-stopping! Sakura actually confronted the dragon and was able to set up a prolonged charm to deflect its attacks. When Eriol cast a distraction spell that confused the dragon for a while, Sakura prepared a very special charm. The dragon was just about to attack Eriol when Sakura placed a paralyzing charm on the dragon. The dragon was, thusly, rendered immobile and incapable of attacking.

"Blimey!" Hagrid exclaimed as they returned. "That's a new tactic on me."

"Nothing less from my dear Sakura-chan." Tomoyo commented as she put her enchanted video-camera away. Hermione spotted this and was surprised.

"I didn't know you had an enchantment camera." She commented.

"I don't," Tomoyo answered, "It's an ordinary video-camera with an enchantment on it." Hermione gasped.

"You managed to enchant a regular camera?!?"

"No, Mr. Hiiragizawa did it for me." Hermione looked between Eriol and Tomoyo and then asked.

"What for?" Tomoyo smiled happily and said.

"So I could capture Sakura's exploits on tape just like in the good old days." Hermione still couldn't understand her reasoning, but she retained a suspicion with the exchange students.

---

"Trelawney-sensei seems to be a bit clueless about her job." Tomoyo commented as the Gryffindors headed back to the common room from Divination.

"She always seems to get things wrong." Ron replied.

"Yeah, she's been foretelling my death for nigh on two years." Harry added. Hermione then tapped them both on the shoulder and whispered in their ears before the trio headed on ahead of the rest.

"Kanojo ga chanto kenshū surimasen." _She didn't train properly._ Eriol told the others. "Clow Reed ni naru kanojo wa motto yoi suru koto desu surimasen." _You don't have to be Clow Reed to be better than her._ He giggled a bit at Prof. Trelawney's expense.

---

That night Harry sneaked out of bed and woke Ron up so they could rendezvous with Hermione in the common room.

"Alright Hermione," Harry whispered once they were in the common room, "What's this all about?"

"Well," She replied, "You know what I said regarding the exchange students." Ron groaned.

"Cor, Hermione, you're still not having suspicions of them, are ya. They seem so chummy and kind, although Li seems to be reserved to most people, but he does open up around SakUra." He was still mispronouncing Sakura's given name.

"You know that can be just a cover." Hermione answered. "I've found something in the library," She pulled out Dumbledore's tome on Asian Magic, "I think it might give us a clue."

"What could they have different from any other Asian witch or wizard?" Harry asked, Hermione pointed to one particular article.

"This seems curious." She answered. "I can't prove it but I do feel it has something to do with them." She began to read. "'Clow Reed was a powerful magician born the son of an English sorcerer and a Chinese sorceress. This unusual heritage gave him the power to create a totally new type of magic, something sorcerers cannot do in the traditional sense.' Apparently he spent some of his life training himself an art of magic compression. According to this he's got the power of five million graduate wizards in one-fifth of his body." Ron whistled impressively. Hermione had pronounced 'Clow' to rhyme with 'cow'.

"What else does it say about him?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head and said.

"Mostly just basic life activities; he was trying out some magic-based life creation techniques. Then it stops."

"The question is," Harry pondered aloud, "If this world is supposed to contain magical life then where is it all?"

"What are you insinuating, Harry?" Ron asked him nervously.

"I wasn't insinuating anything, Ron." He answered.

"Yes, you are." Ron told him. "You're saying there's some kind of monster out here, aren't ya. A kind of fierce fire-breathing chimera capable of living for centuries without food."

"That is a possibility. Ron. But we must keep open minded."

"All the same," Hermione said, "You may think I'm losing my bottle, but I'll bet that Sakura, Eriol, Shaoran and Tomoyo have connections to Clow Reed and that they have access to a power _immeasurably_ superior to anything we can conjure."

They now stood there, looking at each other in a mixture of shock, disbelief, fear and ambivalence. They couldn't prove Hermione's suspicion but then, if she was telling the truth, they had no idea what they would be dealing with.


	11. First Engagement

"I'm worried," Sakura told Eriol as they sat in the Gryffindor common room, "I keep having this dream." She then started describing it in Japanese so no one would rumble them if they came in suddenly. Eriol considered what she was saying; it was already apparent that it was a prophetic dream.

"It sounds like Voldemort will make a surprise attack on Hogwarts," He told her, "We'll have to start preparing." He got up and left the common room, leaving Sakura to wonder just what he had in mind.

'Eriol always carries a sense of mystery about him.' She thought.

"Thank you for staying behind." Yukito told Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Eriol and Harry. "Professor Dumbledore has asked me to instruct 'our transfer students' in a specialised area of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Of course, Mr. Potter already knows the spell in question." Sakura looked between everyone there in bewilderment while Harry carried a serious 'I know what's coming' expression. "He wants you to know how to fight dementors." Harry nodded heavily while Sakura, Tomoyo and Syaoran were still none the wiser.

"What is a dementor, Tsukishiro-san?" Tomoyo asked. Yukito's smile faded as he began to elaborate.

"A dementor is a being that is created in the darkest, most miserable places on Earth. They are dark ragged shades that drain happiness from people so they relive their worst memories; dementors indirectly feed on the misery of people."

"It can be worse," Harry added, "The Dementor's Kiss is a fate worse than death!"

"How so?" Syaoran asked him.

"Because 'The Kiss' sucks the soul out of the body." Harry answered, prompting the loudest cry ever known in the history of Hogwarts.

"HOEEEE!!" Sakura screamed in terror.

"It's alright." Yukito blurted out. "That is very rare even with rogue dementors. It takes a lot of time to get that far. Although..."

"What?" Harry asked, concerned.

"According to Dumbledore all dementors are defecting to Voldemort." Yukito replied.

"That's why we're here." Eriol commented.

"I am going to teach you the patronus charm." Yukito finally got to the point. "It is a positive energy that acts like a forcefield against a dementor, but in order for it to work you need to think of a memory; a happy, strong, powerful memory." They all considered what such a memory was on their part. "Upon casting the patronus you recite the incantation 'expecto patronum'." There was a moment of silence. "Mr. Potter, I would like you to demonstrate the charm to the others." Harry nodded in response and stood in front of the trunk ready to show them what to do.

"I learnt this in my third year." He told the others. "Stand back." They had a good idea why he said this and complied, although Sakura was worried about what she'd see and hid behind Tomoyo. Yukito opened the trunk. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry cried, summoning a white field from his wand, forcing the form of the dementor back inside.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter." Yukito answered. "Now, I'd like one of you to try it." Eriol immediately stepped up.

'That's right,' Yue thought behind Yukito's conscience, 'It would be you, Clow.'

Eriol stood at the ready as Yukito opened the trunk.

"Expecto Patronum." Eriol commanded; nothing happened. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He yelled, successfully forcing the dementor back. Harry was aghast.

"How did you do that?" He asked, Eriol just smiled and said.

"I took similar lessons, but that was a long time ago." He looked at the other three and smiled at Syaoran.

"No!" He answered. "No!"

"It's either you or one of the girls, Li Syaoran." Eriol responded. After looking between Sakura and Tomoyo and the trunk Syaoran finally gave in and approached it. The dementor was released again and Syaoran recited the incantation, but the candles blew out and Syaoran seemed to go unconscious.

Later on Yukito and Harry lifted him up. When Syaoran seemed overcome by the dementor Sakura looked as though she would confront it herself before Harry got it back in the trunk.

"Here." Yukito offered him a bit of chocolate. "It's quite common for someone to fail on their first go."

"That was nasty." Syaoran commented.

"No," Harry told him, "That was a boggart. The real thing is much worse."

"Tell me," Yukito said as he reignited the candles, "What memory did you choose?"

"Seeing Sakura smile." Syaoran answered. Harry shook his head.

"I know from experience that you need more than that." He told him. "When I first tried I remembered the first time I rode a broom and that didn't work."

"Shall we try again?" Yukito asked.

"Okay." He answered. This time Syaoran focused hard on his memory and the incantation. His skill was comparable to Harry's and he got the verbal equivalent to a slap on the back for it.

"Well done, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried out and hugged him with great affection; although initially embarrassed Syaoran returned her hug. Looking over her shoulder he noticed that Tomoyo had been recording all this time.

"Who would like to try it next?" Yukito asked; after a brief silence Tomoyo stepped up while slipping her camera away.

"Are you sure, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked.

"I don't want you to panic, Sakura-chan," She replied, "But I must try my best since I'm new to using magic. Besides, I think we should save the best till last." She stood in front of the trunk and waited for Yukito to let the boggart-dementor out.

Upon doing so it seemed that Tomoyo's capability in the patronus was on par with Eriol's as she only had to repeat it once. Her success prompted a round of applause from Sakura and Eriol while Syaoran smiled with approval and Harry was just stunned.

"Okay, Sakura-chan." Yukito commented; she knew what he meant and stepped up to the trunk. She knew what to expect and had a good candidate memory. Yukito opened the trunk and Sakura spoke the incantation.

Not only did Sakura get it right the first time round but the patronus forced the boggat-dementor back into the trunk with a scream almost as ear-piercing as a banshee's. Harry was absolutely flabbergasted.

"Nothing less from Sakura-chan." Tomoyo commented with a combination of certainty and affection in the tone of her voice.

'"I'll bet that Sakura, Eriol, Syaoran and Tomoyo have connections to Clow Reed…"' Hermione's voice echoed in Harry's mind.

"Okay," Yukito commented after that extra lesson, "Please remember this as it may one day save you." With that the lesson was dismissed and the students left.

"Have you ever done this before?" Harry asked Sakura, still flabbergasted by her success against the boggart-dementor.

"No," She answered, "It was my first time." While Sakura's group set off ahead Harry was rooted to the spot with amazement.

"I've got another letter from Meilin!" Syaoran told the others during their free time.

"I always like to hear from her." Sakura commented. Meilin had been maintaining a steady exchange of letters with them since they had arrived; not only did she know of where they were but it turned out that she was in the same position as Tomoyo. She was studying in a Chinese version of Hogwarts.

"How's she getting on?" Tomoyo asked; the letter detailed her progress at her magic school and, as usual, moaned about the fact that she couldn't be with Syaoran but also wished both Sakura and he her best regards. "Now that I think about it," Tomoyo commented as she remembered their private lesson the day before. "A dementor seems to have a resemblance to the Shadow card, only more sinister." She whispered to the others.

"What goes on between them?" Snape muttered as he watched Yukito talking with Sakura and the others. "There must be something going on; a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher never lasts more than a year."

"Don't dwell on it, Severus." Dumbledore told him as he suddenly appeared behind the Potions teacher; Snape spun round suddenly. "I have great faith in Miss Kinomoto and her allies." Snape considered this as Dumbledore moved onwards; he couldn't understand how Sakura's friends could be considered her allies. Of course Dumbledore was talking about more than her _human_ friends.

Early April Hermione continues to ferret through the library for more information on Clow Reed. She was sure that there was some connection between Sakura and her friends and this sorcerer. Just as she was flicking through a book on famous magicians she was suddenly addressed.

"Can I help you, Miss Granger?" Eriol asked her. In a panic Hermione slammed the book shut and spun round, trying to look composed.

"No, it's all right, Eriol." She answered sharply. "Just doing a bit of revision." Eriol smiled reassuringly and moved along, changing his smile into a mischievously knowing one. Meanwhile Hermione continued to search for more information about Clow Reed.

"You need a little help, Miss Granger." He muttered.

"You want me to WHAT?!" Sakura cried as Eriol talked with her in the common room, just after lights out.

"SHHH!" Eriol responded, for fear of waking anyone else. "Like I said, Sakura-san, use it on Granger-san." He had asked her to have a word with him at this time. Until know they were speaking in Japanese; Eriol had asked her to use the Dream card on Hermione.

"What for?" She asked in a nervous whisper; Eriol whispered ever so quietly into her hear, even though he could've just informed her in Japanese without lowering his voice so much.

"Kanojo wa shitte iru ka?" _She knows?_ Sakura commented; Eriol nodded.

"But not enough to be a problem. I just want to give her a bit more of a hint." He told her, Sakura nodded in understanding. "Oh, and after that could you use it on Potter-san? I think he should know what's coming." Sakura uncertainly nodded again as she commenced to summon her star staff.

"Dream!" She commanded, the card took on the form of a blue butterfly and flew to the girls' dorm.

Hermione wandered through the corridors of Hogwarts, unsure of where she had to go. She reached the stairwell and proceeded to head up to the common room, keeping an eye out for shifting flights. As she went up a flight budged up against the wall she suddenly noticed a figure coming the other way. It wasn't one she recognised; none of the teachers had this appearance. As she looked at the figure she thought he looked like a combination of Prof. Tsukishiro and Eriol.

"Excuse me," She addressed him, "But I don't think you're a member of the faculty." The figure smiled at her, He looked familiar but unusual; his garb was not Hogwarts uniform. "Your aura," She commented as she remembered her lesson in following a person's aura, "Are you Clow Reed?" The figure nodded and spoke to her.

"I can assure you, Miss Granger," He said, "I am your friend." This came as some surprise to her. She looked him in the eye and said.

"I thought you died alone a long, long time ago." Clow shook his head and said.

"Oh no, not me; I never lost control. You're face to face with the man who made the cards." Hermione stood in bewilderment of this answer; she then noticed that Clow was looking down the stairs. Turning around she saw Yukito standing there.

"Clow…" He murmured in an uncharacteristically low monotoned voice, "You're here."

"It's good to see you again." Clow responded. Hermione stood looking between the two, wondering what it all meant.

Then she suddenly found herself in the courtyard at night. Looking upwards she noticed three figures on the roof of the school, silhouetted against the moonlight. One looked like a winged lion that had lost its mane; another looked like a man with similar wings and between them stood a very human, very familiar figure.

"What is going on?" She said aloud.

Hermione started up in bed and looked around; all the other Gryffindor girls were fast asleep.

'It was a dream?' She thought; her gaze was drawn to Sakura's bed. She couldn't help but feel that she entered into the equation of her dream somewhere.

Harry found himself standing in a town in front of what he assumed was a park. On an archway over the entrance he noticed three unusual figures similar to the ones Hermione saw but with butterfly wings and one was more like a panther and the other was more feminine. The figure in the middle raised a staff and then the entire sky grew dark. He turned round to see the same three figures Hermione saw but could discern less than she could.

The background changed. Now he was outside Hagrid's hut looking up at Hogwarts, the same figures were there but one looked taller than before. This figure waved a different staff and a humanoid figure made of flame materialised directly above it.

Harry started from his bed. He gave the dorm a once over and was now sure it was a dream; but last year's experience had made him realise that wizards and witches had the potential to see the future in their dreams. He knew how to operate a crystal ball and had a good idea of how to read the tarot, but some of Prof. Trelawney's divination methods were what he considered to be unreliable.

'I must see if there's a book on dreams or foretelling in the library.' He mentally noted.

The following morning Harry and Hermione were talking with Ron about their dreams.

"Could you draw a sketch of Mr. Reed from memory?" Harry asked Hermione; she considered this and said.

"I'll give it a try."

The resulting sketch was very vivid; of course it was embezzled with magic so Clow seemed to move. It went right down to the last detail.

"Cor!" Ron exclaimed. "You're right; he does look like He-was-a-gi-wa and Professor Suck-a-she-whoa." Hermione groaned at Ron's terrible pronunciation.

"Why don't you learn Japanese pronunciation?" She queried rhetorically. "It's 'Hiiragizawa' and 'Tsukishiro'. It was bad enough when you put the emphasis on 'ur' in 'Sakura'." Ron now groaned at what he saw as her pernickety-ness.

"Well," Harry commented getting back to the subject in hand, "Like Clow Reed they both wear glasses…"

"So do you." Ron added.

"…And they both smile a lot." Harry finished, waiting to see if Ron was to make another comment.

"But there's one thing I don't understand." Hermione commented as she went over the events of her dream. "What are the cards he referred to?"

"Only you've had that message," Harry commented, "I didn't see or hear anything about cards in my dream."

"You'll know soon enough." Eriol muttered as he watched them from afar. "You'll know before the end of the year."

"It is strange," Sakura told Syaoran as they sat outside together, "Lately I've noticed that Tomoyo-chan seems to be showing feelings of love beyond what I'd expect of a friend." Syaoran thought about this for a moment; he wasn't too surprised by what this insinuated but he did consider why Sakura was only noticing it recently.

"Your powers must have reached a new milestone." He told her, she queried with her characteristic onomatopoeia. "You're starting to notice people's feelings regardless as to how well they can hide them." Sakura considered this and understood why some appear to be sad to her even though her usual judgement told her that they showed no sign of sadness.

"Well," She whispered to him, "I'm happy to be here with you." Syaoran returned her passionate smile and they both felt drawn to one another's faces. Their eyes closed and their lips puckered as they got closer and closer until…

Sakura jumped and turned to the Dark Forest, Syaoran did the same.

"This presence…" She commented.

"It's not good." Syaoran finished. Sakura clenched her chest, right where her Star key was.

"Maybe we should investigate." She suggested; Syaoran looked at their timetable.

"We have no lessons this afternoon," He told her, "We can check." He felt his sword pendant and they both walked side by side towards the forest.

As they slipped between the trees, constantly checking for anything unpleasant, Sakura suddenly saw a familiar figure sitting on a log. She felt both nervous and happy at the same time; she knew what she was seeing but only had a hunch as to whom… until the figure turned to face.

"O…oka-san!" _M…mum!_ Sakura spoke; the figure nodded with a smile on her face.

"Watashi wa shiawase watashi kimi o miru, Sakura-chan." _I'm happy that you can see me, Sakura._ Nadeshiko told her. "Demo tayori no kimi watashi o motte iru." _But I have news for you._ She levitated towards her daughter and whispered in her ear.

After delivering what she had to say Nadeshiko started speaking in English.

"I have to go now; but if something else occurs I'll be there for you." Sakura nodded in understanding and watched as the ghost of her mother floated up into the canopy and faded into thin air.

"What was that, Sakura?" Syaoran asked her; she leaned closer to him to tell him what Nadeshiko told her. They were very wary now.

"Halt!" Cried a dark figure as it leaped from behind the trees; another did the same. Their wands were pointed directly at Sakura and Syaoran. "In case you're wondering," The figure commented, "We are Death Eaters; followers of the great wizard Voldemort!" They understood exactly what was going on now; it was a stand-off.

"I'm warning you," Syaoran told them, "If you try anything you'll suffer for it." They just went into diabolical laughter.

"We'll soon see about that!" The second figure commented as they commenced to act diabolically. Syaoran and Sakura drew their wands. "We won't kill you," He said, "We want some information from you."

"You will not get any information from us!" Sakura declared, confident in her ability but also disturbed by this turn of events.

"We will," The first Death Eater told her, "Since a little torture will make you talk." Syaoran and Sakura braced themselves. "Crucio!" The curse shot at them.

"Explulsio!" Sakura responded; her defensive charm did not just deflect the attack, it actually absorbed the attack and knocked the Death Eater off his feet!

"Crucio!" The second Death Eater declared from point blank range; though Sakura had no time to turn and counter-curse she raised her hand and actually deflected the attack without wand or incantation. In fact her deflection worked a bit too well; the pain of the curse now set upon the second Death Eater.

They had been trained by Voldemort in these demonic spells and were used to him winning, but they had never heard of any witch or wizard deflecting a curse just by using their hand! They knew now that they were dealing with one very powerful witch.

"Why do you follow Voldemort?" She asked them. "He's cruel, he's selfish, and he's a cold-blooded murderer." They stood feeling bewildered; they felt themselves question their faith in Voldemort.

"That's exactly why we follow him." One answered. "Those who do not follow him suffer and die. Those who do follow him shall live. Against the power of Him there can be no victory. Embrace the basic instinct to seek power or embrace your eventual destruction!" That tirade was both a warning and encouragement. Now it was Syaoran's turn.

"There is only one Voldemort. Only one wizard who will kill on a whim. And he does not share power!" He told them.

"Anyone who is not a Death Eater who speaks his name is either really brave or really stupid. Because of his power we will not back down until we are either destroyed or reduced to shadows of our former selves." Sakura looked at them and noticed their auras. One was a man and one was a woman. The woman spoke in a snake-like voice to hide her identity. She knew what she had to do to break Voldemort's control over them and to ensure they would not cause trouble.

"Go, Syaoran." She whispered to him. "I will solve the problem." He was hesitant but when he looked into her eyes he could not refuse her instructions and set off back to the school. "If you want him you will need to get me first!" She declared extracting her star key while putting her wand away. Amazingly the staff formed without instructions; Sakura could summon her staff through sheer force of will.

"Crucio!" They both declared, crossing the paths of their wands to amplify the curse. The curse struck the star on Sakura's staff and didn't even bounce back; it was absorbed like a sponge absorbing a drop of water.

"You leave me no choice." Sakura commented calmly; she summoned a card. "Little!" She declared. A yellow streak flew from the card and struck the Death Eaters.

Their dark costumes had been shed to reveal their true identities, their wands were now nothing more than their constituent parts and they themselves were no more than two inches high. Sakura strode over to where they stood; a tower of a girl as the former Death Eaters cowered in her shadow.

"Sakura!" Syaoran called out as he saw her emerge from the Dark Forest. "Daijoubu desu ka?" _Are you alright?_ He asked her.

"I'm fine." She replied with a smile on her face. "They won't bother anyone else now." If Syaoran didn't now better he would've sworn that she had a sly smile on her face.


	12. Reading the Signs

_I'm sorry for such a long delay. I've had writer's block and various other things to do._

Sakura rose from her bed and went through her head over what happened yesterday; it was desperate stuff but, by draining their magical powers their ties to the Demonic Lord were severed, so his fierce control over them was removed and she could re-educate them in the cheerier side of life. Sakura went over to the bedside cabinet she was using and opened the drawer.

Inside the shrunken ex-Death Eaters stared up at their captor in awe, already feeling a change in their demeanour.

"I'm sorry about your predicament," Sakura commented, "But Voldemort's horrific force was directly linked to your magic and since the Little card shrinks both size and magic it seemed like the only sensible thing to do." They look up at her giant visage letting her echoing words sink in. They were small potatoes in the whole yin-yang interpretation of the war and so Voldemort's influence was weak to begin with, only making them cruel and vengeful from their inner demons; now, having most (if not all) of their magic drained, the only influence exposed to them was Sakura's shining aura and everything that went with it. It wouldn't take long for their inner demons to be defeated considering that they'd been reigning for a certain period of time.

--

Later on, just after breakfast, Prof. McGonagall informed Sakura and her friends that Dumbledore wanted to see them ASAP. A while later all four of them approached the hidden staircase that led to Dumbledore's study; Eriol, being the one most familiar with Hogwarts, said the password.

"Liquorice Allsort." The staircase appeared and they ascended. Upon reaching the top it was Eriol again who knocked on the door; this time, instead of being invited in, the door opened on its own accord. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk and a figure was standing next to him; it was a stern figure, a serious figure, a figure that made Mr. Spock look like DJ of the Month, it was…

"Yue-san!?" Sakura exclaimed in surprise; he was ready to explain himself.

"Dumbledore requested my presence." None of them decided to press the matter since getting any more info out of Yue would be like getting blood from a stone.

"Please be seated." Dumbledore invited and, on cue, four seats appeared in front of his desk. "No doubt you are wondering why I've asked you to come here."

"Yes, sensei." Sakura replied as she sat down.

"This is a very serious matter." He continued. "I have a very strong suspicion that Voldemort is preparing a major attack." This didn't half disturb Sakura and Tomoyo while Syaoran looked serious but desperate and Eriol… didn't move a muscle. "Wherever possible I want you to prepare for a major battle between him and his Death Eaters and other demonic minions and ourselves. The Ministry of Magic is trying to ignore these facts but it can't be denied that we must be prepared to defend ourselves."

"I am sure that we will be prepared." Eriol commented to Dumbledore.

"We must be quick." Yue mentioned. "He will probably strike at a time when the students will be thinking more about the holidays." This understood they planned for times and places to practice magic stylised like a form of warfare. Sakura was naturally hesitant about this but Voldemort could not be defeated by her 'Peace and Love' approach to magic, so Syaoran gave her pep talk like that of General Patton but a bit more toned down. She only had to think about what he and his followers would do to the people she knew and she found the fight within her.

--

Far away, hidden in a lonely land of death and misery, Voldemort began plotting his comeback. He knew that the key was Hogwarts and wanted to take it by surprise so the two most dangerous obstacles in his way would be overcome, namely Harry and Dumbledore.

"We must sneak in," He hissed, "Burst in during one of their _feasts_ and demand that they surrender… or else." Lucius Malfoy listened to his plan and brought up a point.

"My Lord," He said, "It will take all the effort we have to sneak in. Might I suggest that we take the back way?" Voldemort looked at him for a moment and summoned a map of Hogwarts in order to identify the 'back way'.

"That is a devious plan, Lucius," He answered, "And I'm taking no chances, we will bring our whole army! This time the world will be mine; the muggles will know true fear and everyone will know who is in charge." Just then another Death Eater entered his lair.

"My lord," It trembled, "I have grave news." Voldemort only had to look at it to get his message across. "Two of your servants have been overcome by a student of Hogwarts. I cannot figure the details only that an apprentice witch has defeated them." Voldemort looked like he was going to curse this figure when he thought over those he had sent to scout the ground.

"No matter." He replied. "They were petit and weak. I shall lead the ultimate force when the time arrives!"

--

Harry's scar burnt regularly over the next few weeks; Ron and Hermione knew what this was about but Sakura saw it as being a medical phenomena. On the other hand she herself was feeling very nervous, like when she had to confront the Erase card.

"On the plus side she managed to rehabilitate her shrunken prisoners and returned them to normal outside the school grounds where they vowed to give up magic and, instead, opt for a simple muggle life.

A few days later Sakura felt that she had to talk to someone about her willies, so she turned to Eriol, who had a chance to diagnose the problem.

"Ah, Sakura-san," He commented once she finished explaining, "It is just like Potter-san and his scar. When his scar burns it is an omen of danger and your willies are the same; Voldemort will strike soon." Sakura was still worried but they were fully prepared; Sakura, Eriol, Kero, Yue and Syaoran had sorcery on their side, making them virtually (except for Sakura who was totally) invincible and Tomoyo was thoroughly trained in repelling and countering dangerous magic on the witchcraft and wizardry level.

All in all they were confident about what they had to do, and so were others. Harry, Ron and Hermione had been practicing witchcraft and wizardry to fight the upcoming battle. They had to, or the fiends would contradict one of the basic rules of narrative: The goodies always win.


	13. Final Preparations

As a group of shadows crept through the trees on the shore of the lake a strange darkness crept over from East-South-East; severe unease was rampant from this sight. However, in the distance, Hogwarts shone with light like never before; a glow to instil hope.

'What does this mean?' Sakura wondered. Then she could see a few silhouettes on the roof of Hogwarts but they were too far away for her to identify any specific form. 'Who… are they?' Sure that she had to get a closer look she summoned her staff and called for the power of the Jump card, whereupon she leapt towards Hogwarts.

Suddenly Sakura sat up in the girls' dormitory of the Gryffindor house; it was another one of those dreams. Experience told her that she'd have to keep her senses alert for any serious turns in events. Looking round she found that only Hermione was awake as well, reading a book on arithmancy. She looked up for a moment and asked her if she was feeling alright.

"I'm alright, thank you." Sakura replied, whereupon Hermione marked the page she was on and closed the book.

"I think we should be getting ready. An early start doesn't hurt," She commented, "Right, Sakura?"

"That has been my experience." She responded, blushing at her childhood memories. "But you go on ahead, Hermione-san. I've got a few things to look over first." Hermione smiled, thinking that Sakura was talking about revision, and got up for a shower. Once she was out of the room in question Sakura got up and went over to where Tomoyo was sleeping; once she was roused Sakura informed her about her dream. The agreement was to inform Kero, Syaoran and Eriol and to remain vigilant as to severely uneasy occurrences.

---

The rest of the morning was pretty straightforward as far as Hogwarts was concerned. In the afternoon Dumbledore had a word with Sakura and her comrades as to where and when they could advance their magical skills under battle-type conditions because, although Sakura was already identified as the greatest sorceress ever and Tomoyo was proving to be just as gifted with magic as Hermione Granger, they had no experience of intense magical conflict where the opponent would want them disposed of regardless.

The training was quite intense; Eriol knew exactly what had to be done and set up challenges that would test Sakura's combat skills to the limit; although she did struggle at first when considering that she'd have to be aggressive she soon got the hang of it when some scenarios resulted in the apparent loss of Tomoyo and Syaoran, which really invigorated her power to attack and defend against formidable forces. Syaoran was swift to adapt to the scenarios thrown at him as he put his own family training into practice but Tomoyo had some difficulty in using the witchcraft she'd learnt during these scenarios as she wanted to film Sakura's efforts at the same time; fortunately Sakura and Eriol gave her substantial backing in these efforts.

---

One day Harry was out in the far reaches of the grounds, testing strong spells for use in confronting any Death Eaters that might show up not to mention Voldemort himself. Just after he'd made his third effort on the seventh spell he heard a rustling in the foliage; he swiftly spun round and pointed his wand right at where the rustling was coming from, ready to take on any threat that might appear from the bushes. Barely a moment later a rough figure emerged from the scrub, looking as though he hadn't had a change of clothes in a month.

"Sirius?" Harry inquired, the figure nodded. "What are you doing her?"

"I've come to warn you, Harry." Sirius replied. "I've heard that Voldemort is planning a heavy attack on Hogwarts; although I can't be sure of the details it seems that he'll attack before the summer holidays begin." Taking this all in Harry knew what to do. While the both of them were happy to see each other they knew the reunion couldn't last very long.

---

Two hours later Harry met up with Ron and Hermione in the library; Hermione was still going through book after book on wizarding history for more information about Clow Reed, though no other books provided much information except that he was once a student at Hogwarts, had mixed parentage and was an exceptional magician. Harry explained the situation to the others.

"What?!?" Hermione nearly shouted, hardly believing her ears. "Before the term is out?"

---

As Tomoyo sat in the wings while Sakura practiced her defences on things invisible from her position she thought long and hard about her feelings for the sorceress. It was such a difficult situation she was facing, Sakura and Syaoran worked so well together and clearly had feelings for each other but Tomoyo craved companionship with the auburn-haired mage.

"You'll have to tell her." Eriol mused as he stood nearby; Tomoyo didn't question his knowledge about her feelings and simply said.

"I know. But I don't want her to feel that she has to choose between Li and myself." Eriol smiled and attempted to reassure her.

"Sakura loved Tsukishiro for a while," He commented, "And her feelings for Li Syaoran have come a long way but the both of you have known each other for longer than ever. Remember, Daidouji-san, you must let her know before it's too late." Tomoyo pondered over this as Sakura finished her round and Eriol went up to do his moves.

---

Later on, during dinner, Dumbledore made an announcement that would have profound implications for all.

"The Ministry of Magic refuses to make this public," He declared, "But I feel it is my duty to inform you all that the dementors of Azkaban have defected and gone to support Voldemort!" This was shocking news for everyone but, so far, none more so than Hermione and Harry, who knew what they'd be in for. However Eriol had assumed the same and leaned towards Sakura, Syaoran and Tomoyo before whispering.

"Remember our training. It will be important against such sinister beings." This made Sakura feel almost as uneasy as Harry but they knew they could overcome.

---

Far away, in a dark and morbid house, a set of dark-clothed figures leaned over a table muttering nastily. One raised a hand and they fell into silence.

"The time is nigh." Voldemort informed them. "Soon we will strike on Hogwarts and destroy all mudbloods and those who refuse our goal to restore the wizarding world to its former glory. Once Hogwarts is made a firm base for our operations we shall march on the Ministry of Magic." With this he laughed manically and some of the others joined in.

However only one of them has heard of sorcery and none of them have ever fought against semi-autonomous magical masters of the elements; they had no idea of how hard it would be to defeat Dumbledore and those loyal to him.


	14. The Last Stand, Part 1

The whole of the Gryffindor house was asleep except for a few; Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Eriol and even Kero had gathered to discuss how to deal with an imminent attack on Hogwarts. Eriol had pointed out that the minute they made their presence known in just one part of the school all the teachers would know, giving them the opportunity to slip away from whatever they were doing. Currently the only thing that was left was to get Kero to memorise a map of Hogwarts.

During their training Sakura had felt that some of the techniques were a bit hard until she found that mild resistance even when compared to her power just delayed the attacking force; at this stage her sense of justice had been thoroughly defined by her predecessor and she felt confident in resisting the forces of Voldemort to whatever level was required.

The next day everything appeared quite normal except that Sakura, Eriol, Syaoran and Harry were all receiving signs of an impending battle. This day saw the last of the OWLs; so they were all involved in exams. However for others beyond Hogwarts studying was the last thing on their minds.

Voldemort looked over a plan of Hogwarts, considering the best moment to strike; he was flanked by Peter Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy.

"We must take them all at once." He declared. "When the whole school is in the midst of a feast we shall storm into the Great Hall and I shall demand their surrender." All around his crawling Death Eaters acknowledged his decision, even the more rationally sly Lucius. "Let us prepare for the attack. Before the leaves turn there shall not be a single mudblood left in the school."

The whole of Hogwarts was gathered in the Great Hall to celebrate the end of the OWLs; the layout was pretty much the same with Dumbledore at the head. On the Gryffindor table the feeling was strongly apprehensive whilst Slytherin was rather ambivalent. The Gryffindor table also had some rather more pro-active feelings. Harry was uneasy but ready to avenge his parents while Eriol just sat resisting a smile that would've formed from his anticipation of action that he was one hundred percent confident of resulting in Voldemort's ultimate demise. Sakura had different feelings again; although she was a bit frightened as to what kind of hatred Voldemort would throw at Hogwarts she was totally ready to defend everyone around her and knock Voldemort for ten.

"Be vigilant." Dumbledore murmured to McGonagall. "There's trouble a-brewing out there." He was not kidding.

Voldemort had successfully penetrated the magical barriers around Hogwarts, unfortunately his death eaters and he had apparated halfway between the great hall and the other end of the school.

"Come," He hissed, "Let us strike forth and seize this place and all who reside in it." With that he rushed forward, following the route to the great hall that had remained in his memory after all the years that had passed, with his followers doing as their namesake, following him.

Sakura knew that the time was approaching, her sense of unease was growing and her gaze kept wandering to the main entrance to the hall. A glance at Eriol was met with a serious nod. Harry, too, was picking up the sign of Voldemort's proximity as his scar was now burning with such agony that it had only felt this way once or twice before. Kero had also picked up on the sense of urgency and was now zipping out of the Gryffindor tower, following the darkness ready to transform and pounce at the opportune moment.

Eventually a strange noise caught the attention of everyone in the hall just before the doors burst open and Voldemort walked in, wand drawn, with his death eaters close behind. The reactions were varied but none, not even the Slytherins, were happy or welcoming. Dumbledore rose with a deep determined look in his eye.

"It's as I feared." Snape grunted.

"Albus Dumbledore!" Voldemort addressed him. "We meet again. Before you were a teacher and I a rookie wizard, now I am the master!"

"Only a master of evil, Tom." Dumbledore answered, not fazed in any way.

"We shall see." Voldemort answered. Unbeknownst to him, while nearly everyone else had their eyes fixed on this confrontation, some students were now manoeuvring behind the death eaters.

Harry, Hermione and Ron had their wands out and were creeping off to the corners of the hall to get a clear shot at Voldemort and his followers. Sakura, on the other hand, was creeping under the Gryffindor table quietly summoning her staff with Tomoyo following with both magical video camera and wand at the ready; Eriol had also summoned his staff as discreetly as possible and was moving off the side of the hall while Syaoran had his wand out and was taking a more obvious route to the back to provide cover for Sakura. Before long Voldemort had moved from his fracas with Dumbledore to face Snape.

"So," He growled, "You decided you had enough of me? You sided with these blasphemers of the wizarding world. Traitor! Here's what I think of the likes of you!" Now all those who had moved were in position, unnoticed even though every table was now being monitored by a death eater. Dumbledore, meeting Sakura's eyes, gave her a nod. "Crucio!" Voldemort cried with a flick of his wand at Snape. Instead of experiencing intense pain Snape found himself watching Voldemort flinch back as the curse backfired. Nearly everyone in the entire school was shocked, especially having seen a thin transparent blue shell surround Snape when the curse was cast.

"If you wish to create a genocidal tyranny," Came a voice as everyone turned to see Eriol standing there with his staff, "You'll have to deal with us first." He now pointed to Sakura, Tomoyo and Syaoran at the back. Sakura not only had her own staff out but also the Shield card.

"Haven't I seen that thing on the staff somewhere before?" Hermione asked indicating the end of Eriol's staff.

"So," Voldemort snarled, "You pretentious mudbloods seek to challenge my mastery!"

"Voldemort!" Dumbledore addressed him, earning a smug look on his face for a moment. "Witchcraft and wizardry is but a stage act compared to the elemental forces of sorcery... and the powers that stem from Clow Reed are second to none." Hermione, Harry and Ron now recognised the staff as resembling some symbols drawn in a book that mentioned Clow.

"You know this staff, don't you." Eriol mentioned to Hermione. "In this life I am called Eriol Hiiragizawa; in my past life I was known as... Clow Reed." For many their jaws dropped.

"Clow Reed is a myth!" Voldemort declared. "The Age of Sorcery died with the 17th Century."

"Is that so?" Eriol quipped. "It's not easy being a walking legend."

"If you're Clow Reed," Lucius asked sceptically, "Then who are your friends?"

"Ah, Lucius Malfoy," Eriol answered with a grin, "You are looking at three different roles in my posterity. There is one of my bloodline, one who can observe much that even magicians can miss and there," He indicated Sakura specifically, "There stands the only one who is more powerful than Clow ever was. The heir to the cards!"

"So it's true." Ron muttered, thinking over all that Hermione had mentioned about Clow Reed.

"It's too late anyhow." Voldemort bragged. "I shall sort you out. Avata Kuredava!" He blasted this deadly curse straight at Eriol, who parried with his staff and sent the curse zipping right into the ceiling. A blip occurred in the false sky. Now Harry and his friends moved in for battle.

All hell broke loose as students and staff alike duelled with the death eaters as Lucius and Voldemort targeted selected individuals. Though Voldemort had a grudge against Harry he now turned his attention to his more imminent threat, Sakura Kinomoto. Lucius, on the other hand, was intent on getting back at Dumbledore. Draco, Crab and Goyle had not even drawn their wands. Wanting to stay out of it Draco led his mates into an alcove out of sight.

"If you are so powerful," Voldemort addressed the card mistress, "Let's see how you fare against the dread of wizardry." He performed the levitation spell on a grotesque and hurled it at her. Sakura held out her hand and repelled it with a single word.

"Float!" The grotesque crashed against the wall and shattered into many pieces. Voldemort tried again from the opposite direction only to meet with the same result. Now Voldemort tried something heavier while Tomoyo found a good hiding spot that provided a wonderful angle of view for her to film Sakura; he performed a lightning curse on the ceiling above Sakura bringing lumps of it crashing down. All Sakura did was stick her staff into the air and, without a word, the Shield card came forth and made all lumps bounce out of harm's way. By now Syaoran had gone to Dumbledore's rescue with his sword in hand. "Skilled magician you are, Voldemort." Sakura declared. "Deep hatred I sense in you."

"I am more powerful than any mage." He retorted. "Even you." He now attempted the expelliarmus spell against her but the star on her staff caught this magic and thrust it back at him, making him perform a defensive charm to deflect his own curse at the wall. By now he could see the potential in her and tried the imperio curse. As Sakura blocked it with her staff the star now acted on the magic like a black hole; it swirled round discharging minor amounts of magic before absorbing what was left, giving Sakura a fractional boost in her own power.

"Much to learn you still have." She told him.

"It seems that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of magic," Voldemort determined, "But by our skills with muggle weapons." He drew a knife from under his robes and performed the engorgio charm on it, turning it into a sword. Once again Sakura bested him as, flinging her own robes back, the Sword card floated out of her pocket at her silent command and transformed the staff into the characteristic sword that she had used various times before. Voldemort lunged for her and, with help from the Jump card, Sakura leapt up into the air and soared over him before landing and turning to meet his turn and their swords clashed.

Sakura's will was not yet in a state to actively attack Voldemort so all she could do at this moment was deflect every attempt he made to kill her as a muggle would but the stamina required for her to do this was perpetual; while Voldemort expended energy in trying to dispatch her she felt absolutely no drain.

A similar confrontation was occurring between Lucius and Syaoran as Dumbledore looked on with slight concern. In this case both of them had to expend energy. Every other death eater was combating one on one with a teacher, except Yukito, and Harry. Ron had attempted to assist but got knocked back. Hermione, seeing Harry's predicament, attempted to make a more tactical decision. The duelling continued for quite a while as Yukito sidled towards the doors, his inner self detecting Kero's approach.

While Sakura and Voldemort clashed all across the hall and Syaoran and Lucius continued their duel in front of the faculty's tables Kero had reached a point that gave him a straight route to the hall, with Yukito standing just off to the side, awaiting the right moment to let Yue take the reins. The sight of the battle taking place inside the hall drove Kero into a frenzy; he shot forward with all speed, transforming into his full-size form. He galloped straight past Yukito and leapt at the death eater attempting to force McGonagall to his will, killing him instantly. Yue now revealed himself with a sigh.

"Cerberus has to get so worked up." He groaned as he flew up towards the ceiling, hurling shards of ice onto the death eater duelling with Harry. This broke off their confrontation for a moment as she experienced sharp cold pain upon receiving the impact on her limbs. Then Kero emitted a blast of flame towards Wormtail, who was attempting to make a name for himself by confronting Dumbledore. The fire of the Sun guardian set his ragged clothes of fire, distracting him in agony as he commenced to put the fire out. He had to use the relevant charm several times and, once he had finished, Dumbledore placed a petrification curse on him.

By now Hermione felt she was in the right position to do something about this; unfortunately she was now standing between Sakura and Tomoyo, provoking the latter to move over to where Ron was lying unconscious. Hermione commenced to send a curse to Voldemort himself, while he was kept busy by Sakura's unbelievable skill with a sword.

"Riptosempra!" She declared, unfortunately there was movement and now the charm was heading straight towards a Hufflepuff student taking shelter under the house's table. Catching sight of this Tomoyo quickly made a counter-charm that neutralised Hermione's charm barely a foot away from the student.

This conflict continued for quite a while. Voldemort was getting frustrated with the fact that his original plan wasn't working. Kero and Yue had dispatched of a few death eaters and Pettigrew was still petrified. By now Ron had recovered and Tomoyo immediately went to his aid, making sure that her MVC would not miss a second of Sakura's duel. However Lucius had deduced a time-winning strategy.

"You haven't made a proper study of the art, Malfoy." Syaoran told him as he kept his blade at a parry.

"I've just started." Lucius replied and, using his wand, he broke the supports to a large structure and started its fall right towards Ron and Tomoyo. Syaoran looked on in horror as Lucius raced off, gathering the eight remaining death eaters and Voldemort. Seeing the danger as Voldemort began to withdraw and regroup Sakura immediately returned her staff to its regular form and flung the Float card towards the imminent danger and shouted the name of the card. The result was the structure levitated in a horizontal position. Through sheer force of will Sakura moved it across the room to as open an area as was safe before gently setting it down. Now all in the hall could gather together. Hermione and Harry hurried to Ron's aid while Tomoyo went to thank Sakura for her effort.

"You should've destroyed him." Yue advised. "He could get away and cause havoc."

"He must be destroyed." Eriol agreed. "But there's no way he'll escape Hogwarts now." Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran and Kero gave him an odd look but he just grinned and tapped his nose. Harry's group were by now staring at Sakura's group.

"What is that?" Ron asked nervously as he stared at Kero. Dumbledore had made his way over to them as the other teachers busied themselves with sorting out all the other students and treating those who were injured.

"That," He informed them, "Is Cerberus." Every time it was pronounced 'Keroberos'. "The Sun Guardian of Miss Kinomoto, formerly of Clow Reed."

"Headmaster," Hermione mused, "If Clow Reed had more power than all the students and teachers of this school put together then how is it that Mr. Hiiragizawa said that Sakura is even more powerful."

"She had undone many spells he had cast." Dumbledore answered. "Only one with more power than Clow Reed could've done that."

"I still don't understand." Harry commented. "Just how powerful is she?"

"All the magic in Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued, "Would be as much magic as she wields in the tip of her little finger." He grinned as he said this. With that he went up to the podium to make an announcement.

"I request the aid of Professor Snape, Miss Granger, Mr. Ronald Weasley, Mr. Potter, Mr. Hiiragizawa, Miss Daidouji, Mr. Li, Miss Kinomoto, Cerberus and Yue. Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout will 'take care' of Mr. Pettigrew. The rest of the teachers must keep the students as far out of harm's way as possible." With that Eriol led Sakura's group over to Harry's group while Snape followed Dumbledore in that direction.

"Oh, dear." Ron groaned as he saw Snape heading towards them. "We have to work with him?"

"I can't get over it." Hermione said, not really listening to Ron. "Sakura is more powerful than Clow Reed? That means they are both more powerful than Merlin ever was." Once the students were all together with the guardians Sakura made a comment.

"I don't feel as uneasy as before they arrived."

"That is to be expected." Eriol mentioned. "You've shown that you can match his ability with no effort. It has provided you with a subconscious confidence boost." Sakura looked at him in a slightly confused manner.

"I got what kind of boost?" She asked. Understanding Eriol translated the sentence into Japanese. Just then there was a drop in temperature and the candles were extinguished.

"Never mind the pleasantries," Harry said as he recalled this phenomenon, "Here come the dementors." He drew his wand again as Tomoyo, Eriol and Syaoran did the same. The terrible shadows flew into the hall and sort out positive emotions and life-force to feed on. Many students felt agony as bad memories came rushing into their minds. Harry pointed his wand up and cried. "Expecto patronum!" A brilliant white field blasted forth pushing the dementors away from the nine students gathered together. As it failed Syaoran made the same spell, but the charm still weakened, so Tomoyo made her contribution, pushing most of the dementors up against the fake sky. Registering the actual intentions of these kaijuu spirits Sakura threw another card into the air and raised her staff to it with a shout of.

"Hope!" The card shone brilliantly as the petronus weakened for sure. A substitute patronus radiated out from Sakura's staff. Several dementors felt great discomfort and fled but most were to receive magical karma. The suffering they had perpetrated and the deadly kisses they delivered all came back to haunt them. A terrible banshee-like cry radiated through the hall as the dementors crumbled and vaporised under the influence of the Hope card's power.


End file.
